HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Access

David Anderson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission when the security entrance between the Victoria Embankment and Norman Shaw Buildings will be reopened.

Stuart Bell: Security audits in 2004 and 2009 both recommended that the Embankment entrance by the Norman Shaw South building should be closed. This recommendation was endorsed by Members of both Houses on the Joint Committee on Security (JCOS). A significant amount of upgrade work would be needed to make the entrance safe-both for the occupants of the adjacent Norman Shaw Buildings and for the security staff on duty at the post. The entrance was therefore closed in May 2010.

Departmental Security

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission how much the House of Commons Commission has  (a) budgeted and  (b) spent on security for the Palace of Westminster since April 2009; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The 2009-10 budget for security was set out in the House of Commons Corporate Business Plan 2009-10 at £22.786 million. The outturn against this budget was £21.279 million. The difference between budget and outturn was, in the main, due to effective contract management and the efficient management of the security personnel.
	The House of Commons Corporate Business Plan 2010-11 provides for a security budget of £22.8 million. For the first two months of this financial year, the actual spend against this budget was £3.753 million, close to the planned rate of spending.

Departmental Security

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission what access is granted to staff of Government departments who hold parliamentary passes to the  (a) Palace of Westminster and  (b) House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: Government department passes allow access to the Palace of Westminster. Within the House of Commons part of the parliamentary estate, they also allow access to Portcullis House, Canon Row, 2 The Abbey Garden, 1 Parliament Street, Norman Shaw North, Norman Shaw South and 7 Millbank.

Departmental Security

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission under what circumstances a Palace of Westminster pass may be  (a) suspended and  (b) revoked; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The parliamentary photo-identity pass may be revoked or suspended by the Serjeant at Arms (House of Commons) or Black Rod (House of Lords):
	(a) at the request of the sponsor of the pass;
	(b) during a disciplinary investigation;
	(c) due to the failure of the individual to attain or retain the required security clearance.

Parliamentary Estate

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission on what date each property on the Commons part of the Parliamentary Estate was opened for occupation by departments of the House; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such property.

Stuart Bell: The following table lists the office buildings occupied by Departments of the House of Commons, a number of which are also used for the accommodation of Members. They comprise a combination of freehold and leasehold properties. Net Book Values (NBV) are held for freehold buildings only.
	
		
			  Premises  Tenure  Approximate date of occupation  Net book value at March 2010 (£ million) 
			 Palace of Westminster Effective freehold 1847 519 
			 Portcullis House Freehold 2001 211 
			 1 Parliament Street Freehold 1991 18.5 
			 1 Derby Gate Freehold 1991 9.5 
			 1 Canon Row Freehold 1989 6 
			 Norman Shaw South Freehold 1979 12 
			 Norman Shaw North Freehold 1975 17 
			 2 The Abbey Garden Leasehold 1961 (1)- 
			 4 Millbank Leasehold 2006 (1)- 
			 7 Millbank Leasehold 1993 (1)- 
			 (1) Not known. 
		
	
	The House has a leasehold for 14 Tothill Street, which is currently partly occupied by the House of Lords. It is due to be fully occupied in the autumn. The House has recently acquired the freehold of 53 Parliament Street, which is at present unoccupied.

Parliamentary Network

Diana Johnson: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission if the House of Commons Commission will consider the merits of providing access to BBC and ITV regional television news services via the Parliamentary network.

Stuart Bell: The Parliamentary ICT network is not configured to stream TV services. The annunciators do carry national and international television and radio but the number of channels is limited, and they have all been allocated as determined by the Administration Committee. The House Service is in the process of developing a strategy for upgrading our network services, and will take account of the desirability of providing regional TV news services as they do so.

Publications: Internet

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission by what time on each sitting day the text of  (a) the previous day's  Official Report, (b) the Summary Agenda and Order of Business,  (c) Future Business,  (d) the previous day's Votes and Proceedings,  (e) Early Day Motions and  (f) the Questions Book is scheduled for publication on the parliamentary (i) intranet and (ii) external website; on what occasions in the last three months each has been late; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: Target upload times are the same for intranet and internet versions of parliamentary publications. Target upload times are as follows:
	
		
			  Publication  Target upload times 
			  Official Report:  
			 Daily Part 8 a.m. 
			 Public Bill Committees 12.30 a.m. 
			 Chamber and Westminster Hall (Today in the Commons) Three to four hours after delivery of speeches in the Chamber or Westminster Hall, reducing to two to three hours on the rising of the House 
			 Summary Agenda/Order of Business 7.30 a.m. 
			 Future Business 7.30 a.m. 
			 Votes and Proceedings 8.30 a.m. 
			 Early Day Motions Between 7.30 and 8 a.m. 
			 Question Books Parts 1 and 2 9.30 a.m. 
		
	
	In the period April to June 2010, all items were uploaded at the times required by the House. The Vote bundle for Tuesday 1 June was published online at approximately 12.30 pm on Friday 28 May (a non-sitting Friday).
	Service levels are being revised and uploading times brought forward; from 12 July 2010 the Order Paper will be uploaded as soon as possible after the necessary processing has taken place. This will mean that in most cases the Order Paper for the next day will be available from soon after midnight.
	In addition to the publications listed, frequent updates are made to other parliamentary intranet and internet pages. These include announcements of ministerial statements, forthcoming business, Adjournment debates, Select Committee evidence sessions and General Committees.

Standing Committees: Internet

David Amess: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, answering for the House of Commons Commission with reference to the answer of 20 July 2009,  Official Report, columns 747-8W, on standing committees: internet, what progress has been made on placing on the Parliament website the transcripts of Standing Committee debates held prior to 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Bell: The aim of placing on the Parliament website the digitised transcripts of Standing Committee debates held prior to 1997 by January 2010 was not met because of a lack of the resources necessary to complete this work. This work will be completed as soon as the necessary resources can be made available.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the URL is of each website managed by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Owen Paterson: The information requested is as follows:
	 (a)
	The Northern Ireland Office (NIO)
	www.nio.gov.uk
	The Bloody Sunday Inquiry
	www.bloody-sunday-inquiry.org
	Consultative Group on the Past
	www.cgpni.org
	 (b)
	The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission
	www.nihrc.org/
	The Civil Service Commissioners for Northern Ireland
	www.nicscommissioners.org/
	The Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland is an Advisory NDPB. Its website is:
	http://www.boundarycommission.org.uk/

TRANSPORT

A5: Lighting

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost to the public purse was of the replacement of the streetlights on the A5 between junction 9 of the M1 and Flamstead.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 28 June 2010
	The section of A5 between M1 Junction 9 and Flamstead, formed part of the A5 Beech Road Dunstable to M1 Junction 9 Lighting Replacement Scheme. The scheme included the replacement of existing street lighting, installation of safety barriers, kerbing, footways, fencing, earthworks, road markings and renewal of some traffic signs. The overall cost of the whole scheme when final accounts are agreed, will be approximately £2,440,000.
	The Highways Agency does not have a breakdown of costs of specific sections of the A5 included in the scheme, but estimates that the cost of replacing the street lighting and associated works on the section between M1 Junction 9 and Flamstead was around £810,000.

Apperley Bridge Railway Station

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on plans for development at Apperley Bridge Railway Station since planning permission was granted.

Theresa Villiers: The Government's key priority at present is to tackle the budget deficit. The Department for Transport will consider the funding for local authority and Passenger Transport Executive major transport schemes as part of the Government's spending review. Until then, the Department is not in a position to give any commitments on projects such as a new railway station at Apperley Bridge.

Association of Chief Police Officers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his meeting with the Association of Chief Police Officers last week.

Philip Hammond: I did not meet with the Association of Chief Police Officers last week. My hon. Friend, Mike Penning MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport met with them on 16 June to discuss road safety issues.

Biofuels

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the global environmental impact of biofuels sourced from palm oil and jatropha oil.

Norman Baker: The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) requires biofuel suppliers to report to the Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) both the greenhouse gas emissions reductions provided by, and the sustainability of, the biofuels they supply.
	Jatropha is not currently used in the UK and is not expected to be widely used in the future, as there are significant barriers towards its sustainable commercialisation.
	Around 10% of UK biofuel reported under the RTFO last year came from palm oil. The RFA's 2008-09 report, "Year One of the RTFO", showed that only around 5% of the palm biodiesel supplied had sustainability certification but assessed that there was potential to increase this to 100% at small additional cost to suppliers.
	As there has been much controversy surrounding the use of palm oil, both the RFA and the Department for Transport have carried out further assessments. The RFA published a short case study of the impacts of Malaysian palm oil in its 2008-09 report to Parliament. This study looked at issues such as carbon emissions and social impacts. The Department for Transport is currently reviewing the indirect sustainability impacts of a number of feedstocks, including palm oil. The results of this study will be published shortly.

Bus Services: Luton

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what cancellation fee for the Luton Dunstable busway project was agreed with his Department.

Norman Baker: No cancellation fee for the Luton Dunstable busway project was agreed with the Department.

Carbon Emissions: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to assist the West Midlands to move towards low-carbon forms of transport.

Norman Baker: The Government's first priority is tackling the country's unsustainable level of debt. As part of the comprehensive spending review, the Department for Transport is considering how best to ensure that the transport sector, in the west midlands and elsewhere, contributes both to future economic growth and to the achievement of the Government's climate change targets. The Government are committed to supporting sustainable travel initiatives, and to reforming the way decisions are made on which transport projects to prioritise, so that the benefits of low carbon proposals are fully recognised.

Departmental Manpower

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the cost to the public purse of proposed reductions in numbers of non-front line staff in his Department and its agencies.

Philip Hammond: Possible reductions in numbers of non-frontline staff in this Department and the potential resulting costs will be considered, alongside all other departmental functions, in the context of the review of all Government spending now under way.
	Like any good employer, the Department seek to manage downsizing through natural wastage, redeployment and voluntary departures.

Departmental Manpower

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many  (a) front line and  (b) other staff were employed by (i) his Department and (ii) each of its agencies in the latest year for which figures are available; and what his most recent estimate is of the annual cost to the public purse of employing staff of each type at each of those bodies.

Philip Hammond: Typically, front line services in the Department for Transport are provided by the Department's Executive agencies. The 2008-09 Annual Report and Resource Accounts (tables A5 and A6 in Appendix A, pages 227-28 copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House) identify 16,613 full-time equivalent's (FTE's) working in the Department's Executive agencies and 1,932 FTE's working within the central Department.
	As stipulated in the 2010 Spending Review Departmental Guidance, costings will come with greater clarity where our Executive agencies are concerned:
	"In order to control the administration costs of ALB's (Arm's Length Bodies) the Treasury is proposing to bring the administration costs of ALB's within the overall administration budget regime. To do this, departments will need to determine 10/11 administration spending within each of their ALBs."

Departmental Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 68W, on departmental manpower, what the salary range is of staff employed at each grade in the private office of each Minister in his Department.

Philip Hammond: The salary range of staff employed at each grade in the private office of each Minister is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Minister  Staff grades  Salary range 
			 Secretary of State-Philip Hammond Senior civil servant £58,200 to £117,750 
			  Grade 7 £46,446 to £56,400 
			  Higher executive officer (fast stream) £26,465 to £36,435 
			  Executive officer £25,533 to £27,992 
			
			 Minister of State-Theresa Villiers Grade 7 £46,446 to £56,400 
			  Higher executive officer (fast stream) £26,465 to £36,435 
			  Executive officer £25,533 to £27,992 
			  Administrative officer £22,295 to £23,355 
			
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary-Norman Baker Higher executive officer £30,287 to £34,710 
			  Executive officer £25,533 to £27,992 
			
			 Parliamentary Under-Secretary-Mike Penning Higher executive officer (FS) £26,465 to £36,435 
			  Executive officer £25,533 to £27,992

Departmental Reviews

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what reviews he has commissioned since taking up his post.

Philip Hammond: The Coalition Agreement sets out in detail the Government's future plans, including the key reviews it will be undertaking in my Department in due course.

Driving Offences

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department has considered the merits of introducing legislation to make compulsory the display of  (a) MOT and  (b) insurance information on vehicle windscreens.

Michael Penning: I do not consider that such legislation is necessary. The police have access to the MOT and insured vehicle databases and often use them when carrying out roadside enforcement.
	We also intend to introduce regulations later this year to strengthen measures against uninsured driving. From early 2011, DVLA will make frequent comparisons of their taxed vehicles database with the Motor Insurers Bureau's database of insured vehicles. Enforcement action will be taken against keepers of vehicles which are on the road without insurance.

Driving Under Influence

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when his Department plans to publish its response to the North Committee report on road safety and the drink-driving limit.

Michael Penning: The report of Sir Peter North's review of drink and drug driving legislation covers a wide range of issues, including the legal alcohol limit for drivers, and contains 51 detailed recommendations. The Department for Transport is giving careful consideration to its conclusions in conjunction with colleagues in other Departments. We will respond to the report in due course.

Driving Under Influence

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the maximum blood alcohol limit for driving.

Michael Penning: Sir Peter North has recently published the report of his review of drink and drug driving legislation commissioned by the previous Government. His report covers a wide range of issues, including the legal alcohol limit for drivers, and contains 51 detailed recommendations. The Department for Transport is giving careful consideration to its conclusions in conjunction with colleagues in other Departments and we will respond to Sir Peter's recommendations in due course.

Driving: Licensing

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what evaluation has been made of the effectiveness of the operation of the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995; how many new drivers have had their licences revoked under the provisions of the Act in each year since the Act came into effect; what information his Department holds on the number of such new drivers who have continued to drive despite revocation of their licence; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The most recent evaluation of the effectiveness of the Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995 was included in the Road Safety Compliance Consultation document published in November 2008, a copy of which is in the Libraries of the House.
	The numbers of driving licence revocations under the 1995 Act from June 1997 to May 2009 are shown in the table. More recent figures are not yet available.
	
		
			  Road Traffic (New Drivers) Act 1995-Total licence revocations  1 June 1997 to 31 May 2009 
			   Total 
			 1 June 1997 to 31 May 1998 1,403 
			 1 June 1998 to 31 May 1999 9,062 
			 1 June 1999 to 31 May 2000 14,431 
			 1 June 2000 to 31 May 2001 13,687 
			 1 June 2001 to 31 May 2002 12,996 
			 1 June 2002 to 31 May 2003 12,932 
			 1 June 2003 to 31 May 2004 14,986 
			 1 June 2004 to 31 May 2005 15,961 
			 1 June 2005 to 31 May 2006 17,208 
			 1 June 2006 to 31 May 2007 19,850 
			 1 June 2007 to 31 May 2008 21,216 
			 1 June 2008 to 31 May 2009 21,143 
			 Total 174,875 
		
	
	Figures are not available in respect of drivers who have continued to drive in spite of having had their licence revoked under the 1995 Act.
	We are considering whether further measures are needed in relation to newly-qualified drivers.

Electric Vehicles

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) undertaken on the development of battery technology for electric-powered vehicles.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has access to a wide range of research on battery technology through well established links with industrial, academic and international organisations and experts in this field.
	Where necessary, the Department has commissioned specific research to supplement this. This has included a 2010 report by Oakdene Hollins(1) into rare earth supply and alternatives and a 2008 report by Cenex and Arup(1) on the potential market for electric vehicles which included an analysis of battery technology.
	(1) Website addresses at:
	http://www.oakdenehollins.co.uk/pdf/dft-01_205_issue2.pdf
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/files/file48653.pdf
	Furthermore, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills launched a £3 million competition on 24 June targeted at, among other priorities, advanced batteries.

Invalid Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to regulate further the usage of mobility scooters; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: On 3 March 2010 the Department for Transport published a consultation on proposed changes to the laws governing powered mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. The consultation covered issues such as compulsory insurance, training and assessment to use mobility vehicles, a more comprehensive registration scheme and the design and safety standards for mobility vehicles. The consultation is now closed and the responses are being analysed. It is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dft.gov.uk/consultations/closed/2010-10/
	We will study the results of the consultation and consider how they may inform future policy options.

Invalid Vehicles

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies his Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) evaluated on injuries caused to pedestrians by mobility scooters in the last five years.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport published research in 2006 into the use of Class 2 and Class 3 mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs which can be viewed on the Department's website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportforyou/access/tipws/pwps/
	The research did not suggest that mobility vehicles have a significant impact on road safety.
	We are however aware that the number of mobility vehicles is on the increase. The Department has initiated a survey to help assess the number of mobility vehicles users and the extent to which their use may have injured people and I will be considering its conclusions at the appropriate time.

Local Government Finance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for which major local authority projects within his Department's responsibility funding has been suspended until the completion of the Government's review of public expenditure.

Norman Baker: We have not suspended funding for any local authority major transport scheme currently under construction and in receipt of grant. We have suspended, until the completion of the spending review, the approvals process for all schemes with Conditional Approval and Programme Entry, and those for which bids for approval have been submitted.

London-Birmingham Railway Line

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he plans to take to consult residents in the West Midlands on the proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 28 June 2010
	I have asked HS2 Ltd to be in a position to consult on the route between London and the West Midlands early in the New Year. The Government will also consult on its overall strategy for high speed rail. Further consultation will be undertaken as part of the process of seeking powers.

London-Birmingham Railway Line

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent assessment is of the environmental effects in the West Midlands of the proposed high speed rail link between London and Birmingham; and when an environmental impact assessment will be published.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 28 June 2010
	HS2 Ltd published an Appraisal of Sustainability: Non Technical Summary, available at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/hs2ltd/appraisalofsustainability/
	for its recommended route alongside its report in March 2010. It is currently examining possible revisions to its route, notably to incorporate a link to Heathrow, and will publish a full appraisal of sustainability as part of the proposed consultation on the line of route.

M1: Speed Limits

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether fixed speed cameras are still to be installed on the M1 between junctions 25 and 28.

Michael Penning: holding answer 28 June 2010
	The scheme to widen the M1 between junctions 25 to 28 includes technology to allow the use of mandatory variable speed limits.
	Use of these limits helps to manage traffic flows and provide more reliable journeys for motorists at times when the road is particularly busy. The technology which supports these limits includes:
	loops in the road to monitor traffic speeds and provide alerts when congestion is starting to occur,
	CCTV cameras to allow the traffic conditions and any incidents to be monitored,
	electronic variable speed limit signs, and
	speed enforcement cameras to ensure that motorists do not exceed the variable limits in force.
	The cameras are not, therefore, standalone installations on roads with permanent speed limits. They are part of an overall package of technology measures to support variable speed limits, improving journey reliability as well as safety. In these limited circumstances I am content for speed cameras to be used as part of the overall solution.

Railway Stations

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  whether he has plans for improvements at Warrington Bank Quay railway station;
	(2)  whether he has plans for improvements at Preston railway station;
	(3)  whether he has plans for improvements at Wigan North Western railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give train operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in Departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving 10 stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' 'Better Rail Stations' report.
	It is understood that Network Rail is continuing to work with local partners to assess what improvements can be delivered at Warrington Bank Quay, Preston and Wigan North Western Stations. In the longer term, improvements to these stations may
	also form part of the new West Coast franchise which is due to be renewed in 2012.
	The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Warrington Bank Quay, Preston and Wigan North Western stations:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Barking

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for improvements at Barking railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving ten stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' "Better Rail Stations" report.
	It is understood that Network Rail is continuing to work with local partners to assess what improvements can be delivered at Barking station. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Barking station:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Birmingham

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to undertake major structural upgrades to Birmingham New Street railway station.

Theresa Villiers: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Budget, the Government are committed to the redevelopment of Birmingham New Street station. Construction has now commenced and the project is expected to be completed by 2015.

Railway Stations: Liverpool

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for improvements at Liverpool Central railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give train operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving 10 stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' 'Better Rail Stations' report.
	It is understood that Network Rail is continuing to work with local partners to assess what improvements can be delivered at Liverpool Central station. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Liverpool Central station:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Luton

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for improvements at Luton railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving ten stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' "Better Rail Stations" report.
	It is understood that Network Rail is continuing to work with local partners to assess what improvements can be delivered at Luton station. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's chief executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Luton station:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Reading

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he plans to undertake a major structural upgrade at Reading railway station.

Theresa Villiers: Reading is a significant station on the Great Western route and an important junction on the nation's railway network. Network Rail is proceeding with a major scheme to provide additional platform capacity and remove the present "bottlenecks" which constrain growth in both freight and passenger business.
	In order to ensure that this is delivered in the most efficient manner and at a cost which represents the best value for money, I have asked Network Rail to review all aspects of their plans for the scheme and to seek out the most cost-effective construction approach and report to me at the earliest opportunity.

Railway Stations: Repairs and Maintenance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for improvements at Crewe railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in Departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving 10 stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' 'Better Rail Stations' report.
	Network Rail will continue with roof improvement works at Crewe and remains committed to developing a longer term strategy for the station that better reflects the needs of its users, Crewe and the railway network. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Crewe station:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Repairs and Maintenance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has plans for improvements at Manchester Victoria railway station.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and is committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	Network Rail is responsible for delivering the majority of investment in rail infrastructure across the UK rail network, and does so in accordance with the High Level Output Specification (HLOS) developed by the Department for Transport, which formed the basis on which Network Rail's income was set by the Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) for the current regulatory control period (CP4) in 2008.
	The Government's priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in Departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving 10 stations by £50 million. Concerns around the poor state of these stations during the tenure of the previous Government had been highlighted in the Station Champions' 'Better Rail Stations' report.
	It is understood that Network Rail has already started upgrade work at Manchester Victoria and is striving to find a way to take forward improvement plans. The right hon. Member should contact Network Rail's Chief Executive at the following address for specific detail on Network Rail's plans for Manchester Victoria station:
	Iain Coucher
	Chief Executive
	Network Rail
	King's Place
	90 York Way
	London N1 9AG.

Railway Stations: Repairs and Maintenance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the Better Rail Stations programme; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and are committed to making it easier for this investment to take place in future.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	The 'Better Rail Stations' report highlighted the concerns about the state of a number of stations during the tenure of the previous Government. It made a number of recommendations which will be considered as part of our programme for reform of the railways, though the need to address the deficit may have an impact on decisions.
	The Government's current priority is reducing the deficit. As part of the £683 million savings in departmental spending in 2010-11, Network Rail is reducing the amount that had been provisionally allocated to improving 10 stations by £50 million.
	Ministers will be considering the recommendations around consistent minimum facilities and standards in the coming months.

Railways

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the merits of the future high speed rail project including a line linking Birmingham with the East Midlands and Sheffield;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the proposals for a high speed rail network set out in the previous Government's White Paper of March 2010.

Philip Hammond: The coalition programme for Government reiterates our commitment to a national high speed rail network.
	I have asked HS2 Ltd to develop proposals for a connection to Heathrow and to HS1 for services to the Channel Tunnel, and to provide a high-level assessment of the comparative business cases of two network options for connecting London, the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds. I expect to receive the results of this work in early July to inform my consideration of the Government's overall strategy and timetable for the establishment of a high speed rail network. Following this I expect to make a statement to Parliament.

Railways Stations: Standards

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the recommendations in the Better Rail Stations report on guaranteed minimum standards at railway stations.

Theresa Villiers: The Government recognise the importance of investing in station improvements and are committed to facilitating this investment through reforms to the way the railways are run.
	We will grant longer franchises in order to give train operators the incentive to invest in the improvements passengers want including better stations. We are also considering options to alter the balance of responsibility for stations as between Network Rail and the train operators.
	The 'Better Rail Stations' report highlighted the concerns about the state of a number of stations during the tenure of the previous Government. It made a number of recommendations which will be considered as part of our programme for reform of the railways, though the need to address the deficit may have an impact on decisions.

Railways: Construction

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects construction of phase one of the proposed north-south high speed rail network to commence.

Philip Hammond: I refer the right hon. Member to my answer given to the hon. Member for Hayes and Harlington (John McDonnell) on 10 June 2010,  Official Report, column 206W.

Road Traffic: Greater Manchester

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations his Department has received on the use by heavy goods vehicles of the A628 Woodhead Pass in the last 10 years.

Michael Penning: According to the Highways Agency's correspondence recording system, there have been no representations received about the use of heavy goods vehicles of the A628 Woodhead Pass in the last two years, other than in relation to the public inquiry.
	A search of records beyond two years could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.
	In January 2006 the Highways Agency published draft Orders for the A57/A628 Mottram, Hollingworth, Tintwistle Bypass and progressed the scheme to inquiry. The inquiry was formally closed in July 2009 when it was announced that the scheme would be withdrawn because the Regional Transport Board determined that the increased costs for the scheme could not be supported. During the life of the scheme, over five thousand representations were received by the agency. It is likely that a number of these representations included elements relating to HGV issues on the Woodhead Pass but the information is no longer readily available.

Roads: Construction

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on construction of new roads using private sector funding.

Michael Penning: There have been no such representations; however, I would welcome proposals from the private sector or local authority sponsors for provision of new road capacity via private funding.

Roadworks

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish a roadworks programme setting out the latest cost estimates and dates for the start and end of major works on motorways and trunk roads.

Michael Penning: As part of the spending review, we are reviewing the whole range of capital investment across Government. Once the spending review is complete, we will be able to determine the likely timing and costs of future road improvements.

Rolling Stock

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has made a recent estimate of the average age of the rolling stock of each rail franchise.

Theresa Villiers: Average age data is published by the Office of Rail Regulation on a quarterly basis and can be found on the following website:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/rolling-c6-misc-240610.pdf

Shipping: Piracy

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will hold discussions with the International Maritime Organisation about measures to increase anti-piracy security for cruise ships.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport fully supports the important work that the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) undertakes in respect of counter-piracy. The IMO's Maritime Security Circulars together with the Department's Marine Guidance Note on measures to counter piracy armed robbery and other acts of violence against merchant shipping (MGN 298), and the industry's own Best Management Practices to counter piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia (BMP) represent a sound body of advice that is developed and supported collectively by the IMO, government and industry bodies including the International and UK Chambers of Shipping. In particular the BMP has significantly reduced the risk of successful pirate hijack, especially in the critical Gulf of Aden trade artery.
	The Department has regular discussions on counter piracy with the IMO and the shipping industry directly, including through the IMO's Maritime Security Committee and through the counter-piracy sub committee of the Department's National Maritime Security Committee. As a result of work in our counter-piracy sub committee we will soon be issuing an update of our MGN 298 that complements, and has more general applicability, than the geographically specific advice contained in the BMP. Finally, I can confirm that counter-piracy is on the agenda for the next meeting of the IMO's MSC, scheduled for December this year, at which my Department will play an active part.

South East Airports Task Force

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  when he expects the South East Airports Task Force to publish its findings;
	(2)  whether the terms of reference of the South East Airports Task Force will include  (a) the travel needs of passengers,  (b) the interests of airline and airport employees and  (c) the current and future economic effects on local areas of the airports under review; and if he will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: The terms of reference for the South East Airports Taskforce will be agreed following the first meeting of the group. The primary focus of the taskforce will be on addressing operational matters that will help improve the passenger experience.
	The Air Transport Users Council will specifically represent passenger interests and we will look to airport operators to engage with local communities over any emerging actions that may affect them.
	We expect the taskforce to complete its work by summer 2011 and I am hopeful that it can identify some actions for early implementation.

Speed Limits

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what plans he has for use of variable speed limits on trunk roads and dual carriageways;
	(2)  whether he plans to extend the use of variable speed limits.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport acknowledges the potential benefits of variable speed limits in terms of achieving smooth traffic flows, easing congestion and improving road safety. We are currently considering the options for extension of the use of variable speeds limits on trunk roads, dual carriageways and other roads that may benefit from their use.

Speed Limits

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans his Department has to introduce a 20 miles per hour speed limit on all urban roads; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Penning: The Department for Transport keeps all speed limits under review to ensure they remain appropriate. There are no current plans to change the 30 mph default speed limit. To do so would have significant resource implications and place additional burdens on local authorities. Local authorities already have the power to implement 20 mph limits and zones where they decide they are appropriate.

Speed Limits: Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport from what date he expects fixed-speed cameras to be in operation on the M1 in Hertfordshire.

Michael Penning: The M1 Junctions 6a-10 scheme will allow the use of mandatory variable speed limits to manage traffic flows.
	Speed enforcement cameras to support compliance with the operation of the variable speed limits are expected to come into operation in November 2010.

Tolls

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy not to introduce tolls on existing roads or motorways in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) the period covered by the next Comprehensive Spending Review.

Michael Penning: I refer the hon. Member to my answers of 15 June to the hon. Member for Vauxhall (Kate Hoey),  Official Report, column 379W.

Trade Unions

Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consult trade unions on departmental cost reduction plans.

Philip Hammond: We are determined that this spending review process will be open, responsible and fair.
	Various events will be organised over the summer for interested parties (including trade unions) to discuss and debate various aspects of public spending. Further detail of these events will be made available in due course. Trade unions will also have the opportunity to feed into the cross-Government online consultation. Departmental cost reduction plans will-be a part of business as usual discussions between trade unions and my Department officials.

Transport: Safety

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much his Department has allocated in area-based grants to transport safety partnerships in each year since 2007.

Michael Penning: Area-based grants are the resource, rather than the capital, side of the specific road safety grant.
	The money is distributed to local highways authorities who then decide how much (if any) should be allocated to road safety partnerships.
	Budgets were allocated as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2007-08 79,515,991 
			 2008-09 78,764,749 
			 2009-10 78,118,656 
			 2010-11 77,327,152 
		
	
	The area-based grant for road safety was reduced to £56,842,152 as part of local government's contribution to the £6 billion of in-year savings in 2010-11. This grant was chosen for reduction because it was evenly spread across local authorities and thus provides equal incentive to local authorities to make efficiencies to compensate for the reduction in road safety grant. At the same time, a substantial tranche of local authority grant was de-ring fenced, allowing local authorities greater flexibility in spending. The reduction in road safety grant is not intended to signal that local authorities are expected to reduce spending on road safety disproportionately.

Transport: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to improve transport infrastructure in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Coventry;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to improve transport capacity in  (a) the West Midlands and  (b) Coventry.

Norman Baker: The Government have made clear its most urgent priority is to tackle the UK's record budget deficit, in order to restore confidence in the economy and support the recovery. The Department for Transport is playing a full part in the spending review which will be reporting in the autumn.
	Only once the Government's spending review has been concluded will the Department for Transport be in a position to identify those major investments in infrastructure and capacity that can be supported.

Transport: West Midlands

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received on the transport infrastructure in the West Midlands.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has received representations from a range of interested parties on the future of West Midlands transport infrastructure, including business groups, local and regional government and environmental groups. Once the Government's spending review has been concluded, the Department for Transport will be in a position to identify those major investments that can be supported.

WALES

Cabinet Committees

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions she has had with the Prime Minister on her appointments to Cabinet committees.

Cheryl Gillan: I have regular discussions with my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on a wide range of issues.
	I am a member of the Ministerial Committee on Home Affairs which deals with issues relating to constitutional and political reform, and home affairs, including migration and welfare.
	The number of Cabinet committees has been reduced to 11, less than half the number under the previous Government. The new committees meet on a regular basis.

Departmental Lost Property

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what property has been recorded as  (a) lost and  (b) stolen from her Department in the last 12 months; and what estimate has been made of the cost of the replacement of that property.

David Jones: In the last 12 months, one BlackBerry has been lost and one mobile telephone was stolen. The replacement cost for the telephone is estimated to be £40. The BlackBerry has not been replaced.

Devolution

Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what quasi-judicial functions  (a) the Secretary of State,  (b) the Minister of State,  (c) the Secretary of State and the Minister of State together will carry out in relation to a referendum on the question of whether to transfer primary law-making powers to the National Assembly for Wales.

Cheryl Gillan: The proposed referendum Order is currently being drafted and will contain the rules for the conduct of the campaign and the referendum. The Secretary of State will be making decisions for example on spending limits, the referendum date, the referendum question. When the draft Order is laid it will be subject to the affirmative procedure. Members in both Houses of Parliament will have the opportunity of scrutinising its provision when it is debated.

Hotels

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the average cost to the public purse of the Secretary of State's overnight accommodation on visits to Cardiff has been in the latest period for which figures are available.

Cheryl Gillan: Since my appointment, I have been required to stay overnight in Cardiff on official business on six occasions, at an average cost of around £93 per stay. That compares favourably with the average cost to the public purse of hotel accommodation in Wales for my predecessor.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Elections

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the safety of Afghan women who are parliamentary candidates and wish to visit their proposed constituencies to campaign; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Parliamentary elections in September are a key step in the development of Afghan democracy. Alongside the rest of the international community, we have been working closely with the Afghan Government to ensure that the elections are credible and inclusive. The security situation remains challenging in parts of the country and this will impact on campaigning opportunities for many candidates.
	The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is working to support the Afghan Independent Election Commission (IEC) and the Afghan National Security Forces in providing security for the elections. The UK, with the UN and other international donors, is in close contact with ISAF partners and the IEC to encourage them to work closely together to provide as secure an environment as possible for the elections and for candidates. Adequate security needs to be provided to enable candidates to campaign in as many areas as possible, particularly for female candidates who may face increased levels of intimidation and attacks as a result of standing for election. Work on this is already ongoing; the Afghan Ministry of Interior will provide two bodyguards for each female candidate, and a number of international-and state-run programmes aimed at providing extra support for female candidates are being co-ordinated by the IEC's Gender Unit.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

David Miliband: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in planning for undertaking the Kandahar operation; what contribution the Afghan government will make to the operation; and if he will make a statement.

William Hague: holding answer 1 July 2010
	The Afghan Government and provincial governor of Kandahar are jointly leading plans to improve governance and development in Kandahar province. They have convened a number of shuras, including that of 13 June, attended by President Karzai, and the Hamkari conference on 21 June, involving line ministries from Kabul and the provincial governor to build broader political public support within Kandahar for this endeavour. The Afghan police and army are similarly playing a strong role, alongside the International Security Assistance Force, in planning to improve security in Kandahar city and its neighbouring districts. Both President Karzai and Governor Wesa have been overseeing these plans.

Chechnya: Human Rights

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the human rights situation in Chechnya; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: Human rights in Chechnya and the North Caucasus remain a serious concern. The recent comparative stability in Chechnya has been at the expense of freedom of expression and democratic space, with civil society and media freedom facing tough restrictions. Corruption is endemic. 2009 saw the murders of human rights defenders and journalists. There is still a low success rate in investigating and prosecuting such crimes, perpetuating a climate of impunity. The 2009 Foreign and Commonwealth Office Annual Human Rights Report, the June report of the All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group visit to Chechnya, and the June Council of Europe resolution on the North Caucasus highlight these concerns and call on the Russian Government to act.
	The Government welcome President Medvedev's recognition of the need to address the underlying socio-economic conditions which can lead to extremism and on the need to strengthen the rule of law in Russia. Equally, it is important that the Russian Government recognise that security measures which do not respect international human rights law are counter-productive, and that putting an end to human rights violations is a vital element in the achievement of a long-term solution to the region's problems.

China: Foreign Relations

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has for a long-term strategic dialogue between China and the UK.

Jeremy Browne: The Government have a well-developed set of bilateral structures with the Chinese Government, which we use to take forward areas of mutual strategic interest. These are among the most comprehensive bilateral structures any western country has with China.
	Planning for our high-level bilateral dialogues this year is well-advanced. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister agreed during his meeting with President Hu on 26 June that he would visit Beijing for the next UK-China Summit in November. My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer is taking forward our economic and financial dialogue. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary plans to make an early visit to China for the next round of our strategic dialogue.

Colombia

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he next expects to meet the President-elect of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.

Jeremy Browne: My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will be meeting the President-elect of Colombia during his current visit to the UK.

Colombia

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the issue of an arrest warrant for murder against the President-elect of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos, by the Ecuadorian authorities.

Jeremy Browne: I am aware that the arrest warrant for President-elect of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos was made by a regional judge in Ecuador in 2008, when Mr Santos was Colombian Defence Minister.

Departmental Postal Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on postage in 2009.

Alistair Burt: Expenditure on franking at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)'s UK mail rooms was £131,700 during 2009. In 2005 the amount spent by the FCO with the Royal Mail was £233,788. We have achieved savings partly by sending more documents electronically.

Eastern Europe: Equality

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what events in Eastern Europe for the promotion of equality UK embassies  (a) have participated in and  (b) expect to participate in in 2010.

David Lidington: In line with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's human rights agenda, our overseas missions, including those in eastern Europe, have a responsibility to promote human rights in their host countries. This work includes organising and participating in events to promote particular human rights issues, including during 2010 events to support a range of equality and non-discrimination issues. Individual Heads of Mission are free to decide what events to organise and what events organised by others to attend according to the local situation. We do not keep a central record of all events.

Eastern Europe: Politics and Government

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to promote stability in the Western Balkans.

David Lidington: The Government attach great importance to promotion of stability in the Western Balkans. It sees a strategy of pursuing membership of Euro Atlantic structures for all the countries of the region as the best means to create stability, security and prosperity on a firm foundation of democracy, the rule of law and shared values.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear, at the 2 June Sarajevo High Level Meeting of EU and Western Balkan Foreign Ministers, that EU integration of the Western Balkans will require a clear, determined, firm and active approach by the EU as well as concrete steps by the countries of the region to fulfil the criteria for membership of the EU. As I set out during my recent visit to Macedonia and Kosovo, the Government will continue to engage closely with countries in region to this end. The Government will also continue to work closely with EU and international partners, and will give its full support to Baroness Ashton and Commissioner Fule in their efforts to promote reform and embed stability in the region.

European Court of Justice

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in how many cases before the European Court of Justice  (a) the UK and  (b) a UK-based company is a party; and how many such cases relate to the implementation of EU legislation.

David Lidington: There are three cases before the European Court of Justice (ECJ) where the UK is a party in a direct action (i.e. is the applicant or defendant). There is one case before the General Court where the UK is a party in a direct action. Of the four cases in total, one of them (a case before the ECJ) involves the implementation of EU legislation; the other three do not.
	We do not hold data on cases before the Court of Justice of the EU that involve a UK-based company and it would be available only at a disproportionate cost.

European External Action Service

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the number of his Department's staff who will be seconded to the European External Action Service.

David Lidington: Once the European External Action Service (EEAS) is up and running, we will seek to second top quality staff from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to good positions. It is difficult to put a number to this as it will depend on what positions become available and the candidates being successful in the selection procedures, for the European External Action Service is merit-based.

European External Action Service

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs where each EU embassy of the European External Action Service is located; and what UK diplomatic representation is available at each such location.

David Lidington: The list of EU Delegations/Offices under the responsibility of the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is set out in the following table with the UK diplomatic representations at each location alongside them.
	
		
			   Delegations/offices 
			 Turkey, Ankara Embassy 
			 Russia, Moscow Embassy 
			 China, Beijing Embassy 
			 Serbia, Belgrade Embassy 
			 Bosnia Herzegovina, Sarajevo Embassy 
			 Ukraine, Kiev Embassy 
			 Egypt, Cairo Embassy 
			 India, New Delhi High Commission 
			 United States Of America, Washington Embassy 
			 Afghanistan, Kabul Embassy 
			 Kenya, Nairobi High Commission 
			 Fyrom, Skopje Embassy 
			 Nicaragua, Managua Embassy in Costa Rica covers 
			 Kosovo, Pristina Embassy 
			 Morocco, Rabat Embassy 
			 Indonesia, Jakarta Embassy 
			 Thailand, Bangkok Embassy 
			 Croatia, Zagreb Embassy 
			 Ethiopia, Addis Ababa Embassy 
			 Nigeria, Abuja High Commission 
			 West Bank and Gaza Strip, Jerusalem East Embassy in Tel Aviv covers 
			 Bangladesh, Dhaka High Commission 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic, Kinshasa Embassy 
			 South Africa, Republic, Pretoria High Commission 
			 Senegal, Dakar Embassy 
			 Albania, Tirana Embassy 
			 Mozambique, Maputo High Commission 
			 Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou High Commission in Ghana covers 
			 Sudan, Khartoum Embassy 
			 Vietnam, Hanoi Embassy 
			 Jordan, Amman Embassy 
			 Kazakhstan, Astana Embassy 
			 Japan, Tokyo Embassy 
			 Georgia, Tbilisi Embassy 
			 Malawi, Lilongwe High Commission 
			 Tunisia, Tunis Embassy 
			 Uganda, Kampala High Commission 
			 Madagascar, Antananarivo High Commission in Mauritius covers 
			 Pakistan, Islamabad High Commission 
			 Philippines, Manila Embassy 
			 Ghana, Accra High Commission 
			 Niger, Niamey High Commission in Ghana covers 
			 Mali, Bamako Embassy Liaison Office 
			 Zambia, Lusaka High Commission 
			 Cameroon, Yaounde High Commission 
			 Colombia, Bogota Embassy 
			 Lebanon, Beirut Embassy 
			 Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam High Commission 
			 Syria, Damascus Embassy 
			 Algeria, Algiers Embassy 
			 Brazil, Brasilia Embassy 
			 Haiti, Port Prince Embassy in Dominican Republic covers 
			 Sierra Leone, Freetown High Commission 
			 Angola, Luanda Embassy 
			 Barbados, Bridgetown High Commission 
			 Guyana, Georgetown High Commission 
			 Ivory Coast, Abidjan High Commission in Ghana covers 
			 Peru, Lima Embassy 
			 Bolivia, La Paz Embassy 
			 Guinea Republic, Conakry Embassy 
			 Rwanda Republic, Kigali High Commission 
			 Switzerland, Geneve UK Mission to the UN 
			 Chad, N'Djamena High Commission in Cameroon covers 
			 Zimbabwe, Harare High Commission 
			 Benin, Cotonou High Commission in Nigeria covers 
			 Mauritania, Nouakchott Embassy in Morocco covers 
			 Gabon, Libreville High Commission in Cameroon covers 
			 Mauritius, Republic of, Port-Louis High Commission 
			 Central African Republic, Bangui High Commission in Cameroon covers 
			 Fiji Islands, The Republic of, Suva High Commission 
			 Jamaica, Kingston High Commission 
			 Montenegro, Podgorica Embassy 
			 Burundi, Bujumbura High Commission in Rwanda covers 
			 Botswana, Gaborone High Commission 
			 Ethiopia-African Union, Addis Ababa High Commission 
			 Guatemala, Guatemala Embassy 
			 Mexico, Mexico Embassy 
			 Sri Lanka, Colombo High Commission 
			 Argentina, Buenos Aires Embassy 
			 Congo, Republic, Brazzaville Embassy in Kinshasa covers 
			 Guinea-Bissau, Bissau Embassy in Senegal covers 
			 Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo Embassy 
			 Uruguay, Montevideo Embassy 
			 Cambodia, Phnom Penh Embassy 
			 Eritrea, Asmara Embassy 
			 Israel, Tel Aviv Embassy 
			 Chile, Santiago Embassy 
			 Togo, Lome High Commission in Ghana covers 
			 Venezuela, Caracas Embassy 
			 Armenia, Yerevan Embassy 
			 Namibia, Windhoek High Commission 
			 Nepal, Katmandu Embassy 
			 Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby High Commission 
			 Yemen, Sanaa Embassy 
			 Laos, Vientiane Embassy in Thailand covers 
			 United States Of America, New York UK Mission to UN and British Consulate General 
			 Moldova, Chisinau Embassy 
			 Tajikistan, Dushanbe Embassy 
			 Azerbaijan, Baku Embassy 
			 Liberia, Monrovia High Commission in Ghana covers 
			 Canada, Ottawa High Commission 
			 Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek Embassy in Kazakhstan covers 
			 Lesotho, Maseru High Commission in South Africa covers 
			 Costa Rica, San Jose Embassy 
			 Ecuador, Quito Embassy 
			 Honduras, Tegucigalpa Embassy in Guatemala covers 
			 Australia, Canberra High Commission 
			 East Timor, Dili Embassy in Indonesia covers 
			 Djibouti, Djibouti Embassy in Ethiopia covers 
			 Korea, Seoul Embassy 
			 Norway, Oslo Embassy 
			 Paraguay, Asuncion Honorary Consul 
			 Cape Verde, Embassy in Senegal covers 
			 Gambia, Fajara High Commission in Banjul covers 
			 Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur High Commission 
			 Salvador, San Salvador Embassy in Guatemala covers 
			 Surinam, Paramaribo Honorary Consul 
			 Swaziland, Mbabane High Commission in South Africa covers 
			 Cuba, Havane Embassy 
			 Singapore, Singapore High Commission 
			 Trinidad and Tobago, Port of Spain High Commission 
			 Austria, Vienna Embassy, UK Delegation to OSCE, Mission to UN 
			 China, Hong-Kong British Consulate General 
			 Iraq, Baghdad Embassy 
			 Saudi Arabia, Riyad Embassy 
			 Uzbekistan, Tashkent Embassy 
			 Belarus, Minsk Embassy 
			 France, Paris Embassy 
			 Solomon Islands, Honiara High Commission 
			 Italy, Rome Embassy 
			 Switzerland, Berna Embassy 
			 Taiwan, Taipei British Trade and Cultural Office 
			 New Caledonia, Noumea None (covered by embassy in Paris as Dependant Territory of France) 
			 New Zealand, Wellington High Commission 
			 Vanuatu, Port Vila High Commission in Fiji covers 
			 France, Strasbourg UK Delegation to Strasbourg

European Union Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's officials are working on preparations for the European Union Bill.

Jeremy Browne: There are four officials working on preparations for the forthcoming European Union Bill full-time. In addition, a number of other officials have contributed to the ongoing work in this area.

Iran: Nuclear Power

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of Iran's uranium enrichment programme; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: The Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued his latest report on Iran on 31 May 2010. The report makes it clear that Iran has shown no sign of suspending its enrichment related activities as required by six UN Security Council Resolutions, and continues to stockpile enriched uranium. Iran is enriching uranium up to nearly 20%, a significant step towards weapons grade enrichment, despite having no credible civilian purpose for the fuel. We continue to share IAEA concerns about the possible existence in Iran of activities related to the development of a nuclear payload for a missile.

New Zealand: Shechita

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of the prohibition on the practice of shechita in New Zealand; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: I am aware of the prohibition on shechita in New Zealand. This is a matter for the Government of New Zealand and its citizens.

Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to attend this year's Ministerial conference of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

David Lidington: I will attend the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe informal ministerial meeting in Almaty.

Pope Benedict XVI

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of the forthcoming visit to the UK by Pope Benedict.

Henry Bellingham: Pope Benedict XVI will visit the UK not only as the leader of the Catholic Church but as a Head of State, and at the invitation of Her Majesty the Queen. Part of the costs of the visit will therefore fall to the Government.
	The total costs can be divided into two categories: policing costs, which will be met by the state from existing policing budgets, and non-policing costs, which will be split between the Catholic Church and the Government. Discussions are under way to finalise these costs and to agree the appropriate levels of contribution from the Government and the Catholic Bishops' Conferences of England and Wales, and of Scotland.

Pope Benedict XVI

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made on the visit to the UK of Pope Benedict XVI; what recent discussions he has had with his Vatican counterpart on the visit; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not met his Vatican counterpart to discuss the Papal Visit. However, a delegation from the Holy See visited the UK from 21 to 24 June and held discussions with Government officials and representatives of the Catholic Church on preparations for the visit. These included details of the programme and organisation of the various events involved, in addition to accommodation, travel and practical arrangements for the Papal delegation. Our embassy to the Holy See is in close touch with the Vatican over arrangements for the visit.

Private Military Security Companies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will bring forward proposals to ban the use of private military security companies in combat and combat support in military operations.

Henry Bellingham: The Government currently have no plans to ban the use of Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in combat and combat support in military operations. The Government do not use PMSCs in combat operations. PMSCs are primarily contracted to provide mobile and static guarding of our embassy staff and missions overseas. They provide a vital and necessary role in hostile environments, and enable the Government to fulfil their policy objectives in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
	The Government are considering how best to promote high standards of conduct by PMSCs internationally. We believe it is important to reduce the risk that PMSC activities might give rise to human rights abuses or breaches of international humanitarian law, assist internal repression, or provoke or prolong internal or regional tensions.

Private Military Security Companies

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to introduce legislation to regulate private military and security companies.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. friend the Foreign Secretary has not yet taken a view on this issue as Ministers will be reviewing the way ahead.

Somalia: Piracy

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps his Department is taking to work with African governments to reduce the incidence of piracy off the coast of Somalia.

Henry Bellingham: The Government are working closely with African governments, the EU, the UN, the United States and other international partners to find sustainable solutions to Somali piracy, notably through the Contact Group on Piracy off the Coast of Somalia (CGPCS).
	In parallel with its strong support for naval counter-piracy operations and the widest possible implementation of shipping industry-agreed self-protection measures (Best Management Practice), the UK supports steps being taken to increase the capabilities of regional countries to combat piracy, consistent with their political commitment to take action through their signature of the January 2009 Djibouti Code of Conduct.
	The UK recognises within this context the primary importance of building up prosecution and especially penal structures, including in Kenya, Seychelles and within Somalia itself, and welcomes the work of the UN in this sector, supported by the EU and others. The UK has joined partners in encouraging more regional countries to share the burden assumed by Kenya and the Seychelles in prosecution and detention, and welcomes dialogue with Tanzania, Mauritius and others in this sense.
	The UK also supports reinforcement of other law enforcement and military structures, including coastguard, as well as support for alternative livelihoods and community engagement. The UK has provided direct support this year for the Seychelles, Somaliland and Yemen coastguards. The UK continues to support the full implementation of the recommendations of the UK-led CGPCS regional Counter Piracy Capability Development Needs Assessment mission to East Africa and the Gulf of Aden, endorsed by the CGPCS in January 2010, which encapsulates all these requirements. A copy of the report was placed in the Library of the House.
	Ultimately, the enduring solution to piracy in Somalia lies in restoring governance and law and order in Somalia itself, an objectives shared by the UK with African governments and other international partners.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his Department's officials in the region on the political situation in Somalia; and if he will make a statement.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary receives regular updates on Somalia from departmental officials both in the region and in London. He held internal discussions in June to discuss Somalia including the current political situation.
	Somalia is important to the UK because of the threat it poses to the UK, and to regional and international stability, as well as piracy off its shores, and the continuing need for urgent development and humanitarian assistance. The Government are working closely with international partners to address these issues and support progress in Somalia.
	It is essential that we continue to support the Djibouti Peace Process. The international community must coordinate closely to ensure coherent and effective support to overcome the obstacles to progress. There is no military solution in Somalia; political reconciliation is vital to Somalia's future security and the Transitional Federal Government needs to deliver peace and stability to the Somali people. We and others will support them in doing so.

Somalia: Politics and Government

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on recognition of Somaliland.

Henry Bellingham: The UK, like the rest of the international community, does not recognise Somaliland as an independent state. While we keep this policy under review, there are currently no plans to change this long-standing position.

Sovereignty

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what advice he has received from lawyers in his Department on the legal effect of any United Kingdom Sovereignty Act;
	(2)  what legal advice the Government have received on the legal effect of any United Kingdom Sovereignty Act.

David Lidington: As set out in their coalition agreement, the Government have agreed to examine the case for a United Kingdom Sovereignty Bill to make it clear that ultimate authority remains with Parliament. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I, together with ministerial colleagues, are analysing this issue comprehensively, seeking advice as necessary, including legal advice.

Tenzin Deleg Rinpoche

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will discuss with his Chinese counterpart the case of the imprisonment of Tenzin Delek Rinpoche, with particular reference to the application to his case of the change in Chinese law on the admissibility of evidence obtained under torture.

Jeremy Browne: We are aware of Tenzin's case and are concerned for his well-being. This case was raised in September 2009 when we included Tenzin's name as part of an individual case list handed over during the visit of the then Minister of State responsible for China.
	The Chinese response stated then that in January 2005, the Sichuan Provincial High People's Court had decided to commute his punishment from the death sentence to life imprisonment and life deprivation of political rights.
	He was also included in a case list at the EU/China Human Rights Dialogue in May 2009.
	We will continue to raise this case at every appropriate opportunity.

UN Security Council

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with representatives of other permanent members of the UN Security Council on reform of the Security Council, with particular reference to giving India, Japan and Brazil permanent membership of the Security Council.

Henry Bellingham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has not had recent discussions with representatives of other permanent members of the UN Security Council about Security Council reform or about extending permanent membership to India, Japan or Brazil.
	Discussions about UN Security Council reform are ongoing at official level in New York. The latest exchange of views between all member states took place there on 28 June. At those discussions, the UK continued to support reform leading to a Security Council more representative of today's global realities and no less effective in taking decisions to maintain international peace and security. The UK also maintained support for the candidacies of Japan, India, Germany and Brazil for new permanent seats, as well as African representation.

SCOTLAND

Scotland Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials of his Department are working on preparations for the Scotland Bill.

Michael Moore: There are currently four officials within Scotland Office and the Office of the Solicitor to the Advocate-General in the core Bill team. Other members of the office are contributing to the preparations of the Bill as part of their wider policy responsibilities. In addition staff across Whitehall Departments with lead policy responsibility for specific recommendations from the Caiman Commission will be involved in the preparations for the Bill.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the planned reduction to the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by at least 30 per cent. by 2020 will involve  (a) using carbon markets to offset emissions and  (b) the recalculation of emissions from logging.

Gregory Barker: The Government are pushing to secure early EU agreement to move to a more ambitious emissions reduction target of 30% below 1990 levels by 2020. When this has been agreed, and the methodology for sharing the effort between EU member states has been decided, the UK will move to a more ambitious 2020 target, following advice from the Committee on Climate Change.
	Although the EU rules have not yet been agreed, we anticipate that carbon markets will be taken into account in deciding how the UK will meet its share of an EU 30% target. We also anticipate that forestry activities, including the effect of logging, will make a contribution.

Carbon Emissions: Departmental Co-ordination

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 139W, on carbon emissions: departmental coordination, who the members are of the high-level group of senior officials established to promote more effective cross-departmental working on building a low carbon economy.

Gregory Barker: The members of the high-level group of senior officials established to promote more effective cross-departmental working on building a low carbon economy are the Director General of National Climate Change and Consumer Support at the Department of Energy and Climate Change, the Director General of Business Group in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and the Director General of Strategy, Evidence and Finance at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. Senior officials from other Government Departments are invited to attend as appropriate.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what progress has been made by the Government on implementing commitments made at the Copenhagen climate change summit to limit the increase in global temperatures to below two degrees celsius.

Gregory Barker: Since Copenhagen over 70 countries have set out the targets and actions they will take to reduce their emissions. If delivered in full, these commitments should be consistent with global emissions peaking before 2020, and will be a crucial step towards establishing a credible trajectory for holding the global temperature increase to below 2 degrees C.
	We want all countries to deliver at the top end of the emission reduction commitments they have made and will continue to push the EU to show leadership by increasing our emission reduction target to 30%.
	The Government have committed to providing £1.5 billion in fast start finance over three years (2010-12) to help developing countries tackle and adapt to climate change. £300 million of this will be dedicated to addressing emissions from deforestation.

Departmental Human Resources

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent on human resources in each year since 1997.

Gregory Barker: The Department was formed on 3 October 2008. Expenditure on human resources was £1,294,000 in 2008-09 and £2,414,000 in the full year 2009-10.

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 18-19W, on departmental manpower, how many full-time equivalent staff are employed at each civil service grade in each Ministerial private office; and what the salary range is of staff employed at each grade in each private office.

Gregory Barker: The number of full-time equivalent staff at each civil service grade employed in each ministerial private office is set out in the following table. In total this is one fewer than the arrangements inherited from the last Government.
	
		
			  Pay grade  Number 
			  Secretary of State  
			 SCS PB1 1 
			 Grade 6 1 
			 Grade 7 1 
			 HEO (including Fast Stream) 3 
			 EO 1 
			 AO 1 
			   
			  Minister of State for Energy  
			 Grade 7 1 
			 HEO (including Fast Stream) 2 
			 EO 1 
			 AO 0.5 
			   
			  Minister of State for Climate Change  
			 Grade 7 1 
			 HEO 2 
			 EO 1 
			 AO 0.5 
			   
			  Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State  
			 HEO 1 
			 EO 1 
			 AO 0.5 
		
	
	The Senior Civil Servant (SCS) Pay Band 1 range is £58,200-£117,800.
	The Department's pay ranges below the SCS effective from 1 August 2009 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  London grade  Min  Max 
			 AA 17,867 19,212 
			 AO 20,834 22,646 
			 EO 24,992 29, 060 
			 HEO 29,261 34,424 
			 SEO 34,713 41,851 
			 Grade 7 46,975 56,597 
			 Grade 6 56,707 68,322 
			 Fast Stream 27,000 33,654

Electricity Generation

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to prevent any future shortfall in UK electricity generation.

Charles Hendry: It is a priority for the Government to ensure that the UK has secure electricity supplies and an appropriate capacity margin over the course of this decade and in to the 2020s.
	Our Programme for Government is clear that we will reform energy markets to deliver a security of supply mechanism.
	The Queen's Speech also announced that legislation will be introduced to improve energy efficiency in homes and businesses, to promote low carbon energy production and to secure energy supplies.

Energy Supply

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to increase the security of the UK's energy supply.

Charles Hendry: The coalition agreement set out that we will:
	reform energy markets to deliver security of supply and investment in low carbon energy;
	instruct Ofgem to establish a security guarantee of energy supplies;
	give an Annual Energy Statement to Parliament to set strategic energy policy and guide investment; and
	through our green deal, encourage efficiency improvements paid for by savings in energy bills.
	We are making progress: we will shortly publish our first Annual Energy Statement, together with our 2050 pathways project, and the Queen's Speech set out our legislative intentions.

Energy: Subsidies

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, column 56W, on energy: subsidies, what agreements were made on energy subsidy reform at the G20 Toronto summit.

Gregory Barker: We welcome the agreement on subsidies reached at the recent G20 summit. The relevant part of the communiqué reads:
	"We note with appreciation the report on energy subsidies from the International Energy Agency (IEA), Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), OECD and World Bank. We welcome the work of Finance and Energy Ministers in delivering implementation strategies and timeframes, based on national circumstances, for the rationalization and phase out over the medium term of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption, taking into account vulnerable groups and their development needs. We also encourage continued and full implementation of country specific strategies and will continue to review progress towards this commitment at upcoming summits."

Energy: Subsidies

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much  (a) his Department and its predecessors and  (b) its non-departmental public bodies spent on subsidies for nuclear power in each year since 1997.

Charles Hendry: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ian Swales) on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 600-601W.

Fuel Poverty

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will take steps to extend his policy to reduce levels of fuel poverty to cover people who use oil and liquefied petroleum gas for heating.

Gregory Barker: We recognise the difficulties faced by those off-grid households who are in fuel poverty. We will continue to examine whether existing fuel poverty measures could be made more effective or new policies introduced. As announced in the Budget on 22 June, the Government are considering the case for introducing a fuel duty discount in remote rural areas. We are also developing our policy on Social Price Support and, subject to the outcome of the spending review and future consultation, we are considering providing financial benefits through the scheme on electricity accounts to be more inclusive of those vulnerable customers living off the gas grid.

Green Investment Bank

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what timetable has been set for the establishment of the Green Investment Bank; and what recent progress has been made on implementing that proposal.

Gregory Barker: Following the Spending Review, the Government will bring forward detailed proposals on the creation of a Green Investment Bank to help the UK meet the low-carbon investment challenge. A wide range of options, including those published in the Wigley Report detailing the scope and structure of the Green Investment Bank, are under consideration.

Home Energy Efficiency Programme

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what plans he has for the future of the home energy efficiency programme.

Gregory Barker: The Coalition has made a priority of energy efficiency; it reduces energy bills, cuts carbon and cuts energy demand-improving our energy security.
	We announced our intention to put in place the legal framework needed for Green Deal Programme in the Queen's Speech. It will be a key element of our Energy Bill in the first session of this Parliament.
	We have committed to a Green Deal that will provide energy efficiency improvements to homeowners at no up-front cost, with consumers paying through the savings they make on their energy bills. This represents a real step change and we believe the Green Deal will both substantially increase the rate of energy efficiency improvement in our housing stock and stimulate growth in green jobs.
	On 30 June, we also announced an extended, more ambitious and targeted Carbon Emissions Reduction Target to December 2012.

Redfern Inquiry

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, column 56W, on human tissue analysis in UK nuclear facilities inquiry, for what reasons there is currently no publication date for the report of the Redfern Inquiry on examination of tissue taken from individuals who had worked in the nuclear industry.

Charles Hendry: Publication of the Redfern Inquiry report into the analysis of human tissue taken from individuals who had worked in the nuclear industry is planned to take place before summer recess. However, as we wish to lay the report as a parliamentary paper, this date is dependent on the parliamentary timetable.

Warm Front Scheme

Margot James: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent discussions he has had with representatives of Eaga on the management of the Warm Front scheme and the delays experienced by customers for repairs to which they are entitled.

Gregory Barker: Under the terms of the contract, the Department and Eaga meet regularly to review Eaga's management of the Warm Front Scheme and any delays experienced by customers. There is a monthly operations meeting and a quarterly scheme management board meeting.

HEALTH

Ataxia-Telangiectasia

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons have been diagnosed with Ataxia-Telangiectasia in each of the last 10 years; what research his Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated into this condition; what services are available to assist those diagnosed with the condition; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: Information on the number of people diagnosed with ataxia telangiectasia is not collected. However, it has been estimated that there are currently around 200 people in the United Kingdom with this condition.
	The National Institute for Health Research is funding the Care of Ataxia Patients study: an evaluation of service provision for people with ataxia. The Medical Research Council funds a broad portfolio of research on conditions such as ataxia telangiectasia which are caused by DNA damage.
	There is currently no cure for ataxia telangiectasia, and no treatment which will slow the progression of this disease. However, treatment can be provided for the frequent respiratory infections and pulmonary problems, as well as help for the weakened immune system. Speech and occupational therapy, as well as wider social care, can also be provided.
	There are two specialist clinics, in Papworth and Nottingham, which offer multi-disciplinary care for those with ataxia telangiectasia.

Botulinum Toxin

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions were issued for medicines with botulinum toxin A as the active ingredient in the last three years for which figures are available; and how many such prescriptions were issued  (a) by NHS practitioners,  (b) privately,  (c) under a medicinal product licence by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and  (d) for other indications.

Simon Burns: Information on private prescribing, the number of prescriptions issued for a medicine, or the indication for which it is prescribed, is not collected centrally.
	Information on the number of botulinum toxin type A prescription items dispensed in the community in England is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Botulinum toxin type A prescription items 
			   Prescription items( 1)  (thousand) 
			 2007 0.2 
			 2008 0.2 
			 2009 0.3 
			 (1) Excludes use in hospitals.  Source: Prescription Cost Analysis

Cancer: Drugs

Edward Timpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in establishing the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Simon Burns: We are working towards implementing the Cancer Drugs Fund from April 2011. In the meantime, we are considering what more can be done before this to help patients access the cancer drugs recommended by their clinicians.

Cancer: Health Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to revise the Cancer Reform Strategy.

Paul Burstow: We are committed to improving outcomes for cancer patients and that will be the focus of our future cancer strategy.

Cardiovascular Disease

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his Department received PH25 prevention of cardiovascular disease guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence; and on what date it published its response.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) provided the Department with a copy of its final guidance on the prevention of cardiovascular disease on 15 June 2010. NICE has published its guidance and the Department has no plans to publish a response.

Care Homes

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the average number of members of family and friends who visited each resident in  (a) small group homes,  (b) residential homes and  (c) campus homes in each week in the latest period for which figures are available.

Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Care Homes

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Swindon South of 7 June 2010,  Official Report, column 46W, on care homes, whether the Commission will report  (a) within a year of the announcement of the coalition programme or within a year of the Commission being established and  (b) to Parliament or the Government.

Paul Burstow: Further details on the Commission for funding long-term care, including arrangements for reporting, will be announced shortly.

Departmental Human Resources

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on human resources in each year since 1997.

Simon Burns: Departmental spend on human resources for the last four financial years is set out in the following table:
	
		
			   Human resources spend (£) 
			 2009-10 3,057,941 
			 2008-09 3,088,426 
			 2007-08 3,301,781 
			 2006-07 3,333,343 
		
	
	Prior to 2006, the Department's human resources function was devolved, therefore the information is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Location

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider relocating civil servants in his Department who are currently working in central London to Leeds.

Simon Burns: The Department currently has no specific plans to relocate civil servant posts in central London to Leeds, or other locations.
	The size and shape of the Department and its arms length bodies is under review and this will include consideration about the location of functions.

Departmental NDPBs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Simon Burns: The address of the head office of each the Department's executive non-departmental public bodies is as follows:
	
		
			   Address 
			 Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC) Eliot House (EH 1.4), 
			  10-12 Allington Street 
			  London SW1E 5EH 
			   
			 Appointments Commission (AC) Ground Floor 
			  Blenheim House 
			  Duncombe Street 
			  West 1 
			  Leeds LSI 4PL 
			   
			 Care Quality Commission (CQC) Citygate 
			  Gallowgate 
			  Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 4PA 
			   
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) 1(st) Floor 
			  Kierran Cross 
			  11 Strand 
			  London WC2N 5HR 
			   
			 General Social Care Council (GSCC) Goldings House 
			  2 Hay's Lane 
			  London SW1 2HB 
			   
			 Health Protection Agency (HPA) 7(th) Floor 
			  Holborn Gate 
			  330 High Holborn 
			  London WC1V 7PP 
			   
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) 21 Bloomsbury Street 
			  London WC1B 3HF 
			   
			 Human Tissue Authority (HTA) Finlaison House 
			  15-17 Furnival Street 
			  London EC4A 1AB 
			   
			 Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts (Monitor) 4 Matthew Parker Street 
			  London SW1H 9NL 
		
	
	The Department also has 31 advisory NDPBs, but these are all hosted by the Department or one of its executive bodies, so they do not have separate head offices.

Food: Labelling

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on EU proposals to end the sale of eggs and other food products by number rather than by weight; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: At present egg producers are able to sell eggs by number, a practice we wish to see continue. We are advised that the matter is being discussed in the context of the European Commission proposal for a new food information regulation, which is still under negotiation. The United Kingdom will continue to seek amendments to the text which will allow selling by number to continue.

Food: Labelling

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that the Food Standards Agency's single, integrated, front-of-pack traffic light colour-coded system is adopted as the national standard for food and drink products sold in England.

Paul Burstow: It is important that people have nutritional information on the pack of food they buy, so that they can make good choices about what they eat. We are considering a number of schemes at the moment.

Health Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many officials of his Department are working on preparations for the Health Bill.

Simon Burns: As announced in the Queen's Speech, a Health Bill will be introduced in the first parliamentary session. A dedicated Bill team of three officials has been established in the Department. A number of other policy and legal officials are also working on preparations for the Bill.

Hearing Impairment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will require health professionals to record and monitor the number of people with hearing impairment as a result of using personal music players at too high a volume; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of people in each age group who sought treatment for hearing impairment and loss arising from their use of personal music players in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Burstow: The Royal National Institute for Deaf People have conducted research that shows 66% of personal music player users are listening to music at louder than 85 decibels, which according to the World Health Organisation, can cause permanent hearing damage over time.
	Health professionals focus on diagnosing and treating all those with hearing impairment. There are no plans to require monitoring of people whose hearing impairment is a result of using personal music players at too high a volume.
	For any individual patient, it is very difficult to establish that hearing impairment is the result of listening to personal music players at high volume alone. The burden of doing so, and the subsequent monitoring of such cases, would require the creation of a national health service research project, with significant resource implications. Neither the Department or the NHS collect information about "the number of people in each age group who sought treatment for hearing impairment and loss arising from their use of personal music players".
	Given the difficulties in establishing the cause of hearing impairment no information is currently available about the number of people who sought treatment resulting from their use of personal music players.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the maximum appropriate waiting time between the date of referral and the date of an operation for NHS patients.

Simon Burns: The revised "NHS Operating Framework for 2010-11", published on 21 June, removed the burden of central performance management of the 18 weeks maximum referral to treatment waiting times target by the Department. This change will empower patients and clinicians, putting them at the heart of decision-making, with a focus on quality and outcomes, not processes. A copy of the framework has already been placed in the Library.
	To ensure patients do not experience undue delay at any stage of their treatment we will continue to publish and monitor hospital waiting times. General practitioners and commissioners of health services can use this information locally to ensure that they can continue to improve access to services for their patients.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget is of each current project in Iraq funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The Department is currently funding no projects in Iraq.

Making It Better Programme: Greater Manchester

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse has been of the review of the Making It Better Programme in Greater Manchester.

Simon Burns: This is a matter for the local national health service and as such the information requested is not held centrally. Information on the cost of the Making it Better programme can be obtained from the Making it Better Implementation Team direct, through the North West strategic health authority.

Medical Records: Databases

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on summary care records; and how much remains to be spent on the project.

Simon Burns: A total of £96.7 million has been spent on the development of the summary care record to date and a further £48.8 million is planned to be spent on the project. Costs incurred by the national health service in local implementation of the summary care record are not collected centrally.
	The Government are reviewing the content and opt-out arrangements for the summary care record which will inform final decisions on future spending plans as part of the Government's spending review.

Mental Health Act 1983

Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to bring forward proposals for the repeal of section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Mark Harper: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government are seriously considering the recommendations on attitudes to mental health illness and the disqualification of MPs in the report of the Speaker's Conference on Parliamentary Representation, which recommended repeal of Section 141.

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members of the board of Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust were on 18 March 2009; and whether he plans to replace any members of the board.

Simon Burns: Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust's annual report for 2008-09 lists all the board members that served during that year (1 April 2008-31 March 2009). The report was laid before Parliament on 7 July 2009 and is available in the Library. The Secretary of State has no powers of appointment or dismissal of the members of a foundation trust's board.

North Tees and Hartlepool Hospital

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 406-7W, on hospitals: Durham, 
	(1)  what representations he received that informed his decision not to proceed with the proposed North Tees and Hartlepool Hospital; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  on what date the decision not to proceed with the proposed North Tees and Hartlepool Hospital, announced on 17 June 2010 was taken;
	(3)  what the total cost to public funds has been of proposed North Tees and Hartlepool Hospital to date; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 406W, regarding the cost to the public of the scheme to date.
	There were no representations received that informed the decision not to proceed with the North Tees and Hartlepool NHS Foundation Trust scheme.
	The date that the final decision to not proceed with this scheme was taken on 16 June 2010.

Nutrition: Children

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that children and young people under the age of 16 years are not exposed to marketing, advertising and promotions which encourage an unhealthy diet.

Simon Burns: The television regulator Ofcom has placed scheduling restrictions on the broadcast advertising of foods high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) during children's programmes and programmes of particular appeal to children up to the age of 16.
	In addition, under the Committee of Advertising Practice rules food and drink manufacturers cannot use promotional offers, celebrities, licensed characters popular with children, or health or nutrition claims in HFSS food and drink adverts targeted directly at primary school children.

Older People: Swimming

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the health of elderly people of the Government's decision to end free swimming for people aged over 60.

Paul Burstow: An independent evaluation of the free swimming programme was published on 17 June 2010. It found that more than eight out of 10 of over 60s would have gone swimming anyway, even if they had had to pay. A value for money analysis found that the cost of the programme outweighed the health benefits. No formal assessment was made of the likely effect on the health of older people of Government's decision to end the free swimming programme.

Social Services: Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a new funding system for social care.

Paul Burstow: "Freedom, Fairness, Responsibility", the coalition's programme for government set out plans to establish a commission which will consider how to ensure responsible and sustainable funding for long-term care. The commission will be established as soon as possible and report within a year.

Stomach Cancer

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve services for people diagnosed with stomach cancer.

Paul Burstow: In 2001 the Department published "Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers", which set out recommendations on how services for patients with upper gastro-intestinal cancers, including stomach cancer, should be organised in order to ensure the best outcomes. A copy has already been placed in the Library. It is for cancer networks, in collaboration with local stakeholders including strategic health authorities, to decide how best to implement the "Improving Outcomes" guidance.
	We are in the process of developing a White Paper about the national health service which, among other things, will look at the best way to ensure high quality, cost-effective commissioning of patient-centred services, including cancer services.

Stomach Cancer

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of survival rates for stomach cancer; and what steps he is taking to improve these survival rates.

Paul Burstow: The one-year age standardised relative survival rates for patients diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2003 to 2007, followed up to 2008, was 39.3% for women and 39.5% for men. This shows the percentage of cancer patients alive one year after cancer is diagnosed.
	Data on five-year unstandardised relative survival rates are also available on the Office for National Statistics website at:
	www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/Product.asp?vlnk=14007
	Evidence suggests that the most important reason for lower survival rates in England compared with other countries is later diagnosis of cancer, and so patients have more advanced disease at diagnosis. Over the coming months we shall be looking at what needs to be done to achieve earlier diagnosis. This will include tackling low public awareness of cancer symptoms, delays in people with symptoms presenting to their general practitioner and delays in referral to secondary care.

Strokes: Health Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of action by NHS organisations to improve public and professional awareness of stroke since 2007.

Simon Burns: The national ACT FAST stroke awareness campaign has been evaluated in some detail and has proved to be very effective in raising awareness of the signs of stroke and the need to treat it as a medical emergency. Analysis of 999 calls found that in the first four months of the campaign there was a 55.5% increase in stroke related calls.
	Across the population generally, awareness of F.A.S.T. as an acronym increased significantly across the two waves of research, from nine per cent, to 54%. Qualitative research among health and social care workers found that the campaign had been effective in educating them about the signs of stroke and need for urgency. These messages were strong, clear and well recalled after six weeks.
	The Department has not conducted any assessment of the effectiveness of action by national health service organisations to improve public and professional awareness of stroke since 2007.

PRIME MINISTER

UN Millennium Development Goals: Meetings

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to attend the UN Millennium Development Goals meeting to be held in New York from 20 to 22 September 2010.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 570.

Colombia

Ian Davidson: To ask the Prime Minister when he next expects to meet the President-elect of Colombia, Juan Manuel Santos.

David Cameron: I met President-elect Santos for the first time today.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jessica Morden: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  pursuant to the written ministerial statement of 10 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 32-4WS, on special advisers, when he next expects to update the information;
	(2)  what changes there have been in respect of the  (a) number and  (b) cost of employing special advisers since 10 June 2010; and when he next plans to publish a list of the names and salaries of special advisers in post.

David Cameron: I published a list of special advisers in my written ministerial statement on 10 June 2010,  Official Report, column 32WS. As set out in the ministerial code, an updated statement will be published annually.

Public Sector

Luciana Berger: To ask the Prime Minister what estimate has been made of the cost of him and the Deputy Prime Minister writing to every public sector worker.

David Cameron: The letter was distributed by e-mail, at no additional cost, through established channels that public sector bodies use to communicate with their staff.

Russia: Bilateral Discussions

Chris Bryant: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he raised the matter of extent of respect for human rights in the Russian Federation in bilateral conversations with President Medvedev during the recent G8/G20 summit;
	(2)  whether he raised the case of the ongoing second trial of Mikhail Khodorkovsky in bilateral discussions with President Medvedev during the recent G8/G20 summit;
	(3)  whether he raised the issue of the murder of Alexander Litvinenko and the extradiction of Andrei Lugovoi to the UK in his bilateral discussions with President Medvedev at the recent G8/G20 Summit.

Denis MacShane: To ask the Prime Minister whether he has discussed the extradition of Audrei Lugovoi to the UK in his bilateral discussions with President Medvedev at the recent G8/G20 Summit.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Members to the press notice issued by my office on Saturday 26 June 2010. A copy is available on the Number 10 website at:
	http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/06/pm-and-president-medvedev-hold-talks-at-g8-52477

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Burma: Overseas Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will take steps to establish a complementary mechanism to the Three Diseases Fund to ensure aid reaches border areas in Burma which cannot be reached by that fund.

Andrew Mitchell: In addition to supporting the nationwide Three Diseases Fund in Burma, the Department for International Development (DFID) has expanded its aid for the health sector in border areas. We now provide TB treatment for Burmese people along the Thai border through the Shoklo Malaria Research Unit. We support the Shan Women's Action Network who provide basic health services to displaced people, and provide medical supplies through the Mae Tao Clinic. We are also expanding our cross-border health support from China. At least 345,000 people in remote border areas have benefited from this programme since 2006. I am currently considering a new proposal for health support for displaced people in conflict-affected parts of Eastern Burma.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in coordinating in-country and cross-border aid to Burmese internally displaced people; and how much funding the Government have provided for this work in each of the last three years.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) welcomes the United Nations' (UN) efforts in Burma to improve the coordination of humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people. We have seen an improvement in information sharing between organisations on their aid activities but recognise that this process will take time because of the risks involved in working in this part of Burma.
	DFID does not currently fund the UN's coordination work to internally displaced people. However, we provided £33,500 in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to the UN Resident Coordinator's office to help facilitate discussions between organisations providing humanitarian aid.
	We are currently reviewing all our aid, including aid channelled through multilateral agencies, to ensure it is as effective as possible and brings real benefit to the world's poor.

Departmental Catering

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on catering in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Andrew Mitchell: The information requested is not centrally available and cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost. All expenditure is taken in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury book on Regularity and Propriety.

Developing Countries: Fossil Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department has spent through the International Monetary Fund on overseas projects for the extraction and transport of fossil fuels in the last five years.

Mark Hoban: I have been asked to reply.
	The International Monetary Fund (IMF) provides loans to countries that have trouble meeting their international payments and cannot otherwise find sufficient financing on affordable terms. This financial assistance is designed to help countries restore macroeconomic stability by rebuilding their international reserves, stabilising their currencies, and paying for imports-all necessary conditions for relaunching growth. Unlike Multilateral Development Banks, the IMF does not provide finance for specific projects.

International Assistance: Education

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support his Department plans to provide for education in developing countries which have experienced conflict and natural disasters to achieve progress towards the education Millennium Development Goal.

Andrew Mitchell: In "The Coalition: our programme for government", the Government highlighted their commitment to education, stating that we will prioritise aid spending to ensure all children have access to education and will particularly focus on girls and children with disabilities.
	In the coming months, the Department for International Development (DFID) will be reviewing its aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer and accelerate growth towards the MDGs. This includes a review of our emergency response programme, which will look at the provision of support across sectors in the immediate aftermath of conflict or natural disaster.
	With over half of primary aged children not enrolled in school living in fragile states, a total of 42 million children out of an estimated 72 million worldwide, we recognise the need to promote education in fragile and conflict-affected states. We also understand the value of maintaining education in emergencies. However it is important that short term emergency responses to education protect the longer-term prospects of rebuilding education systems and do not fragment or deepen social inequalities.

International Assistance: Education

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the timetable is for the Ministerial review of his Department's Education for All: Education Strategy for 2010-15.

Andrew Mitchell: In "The Coalition: our programme for government", the Government highlighted their commitment to education, stating that we will prioritise aid spending to ensure all children have access to education and will particularly focus on girls and children with disabilities.
	In the coming months the Department for International Development (DFID) will be reviewing its aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer, and accelerate progress towards the millennium development goals, including the target on education. DFID's approach to education will be reviewed in this context. I expect the review to be completed later this year.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equal Opportunities: Candidates

Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities whether she plans to extend the provisions of the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 beyond 2015; and whether she has commissioned research into the effect of the operation of that Act on the number of women selected as candidates by political parties.

Lynne Featherstone: The Equality Act 2010 extends the provisions of the Sex Discrimination (Election Candidates) Act 2002 until 2030 and contains a power for a Minister to extend their use further beyond that date.
	No research has been commissioned into the effect of the 2002 Act.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Betting Shops: Licensing

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 107W, on betting shops: licensing, what the proposed location was of each premises; what local authority rejected each application; and what the grounds of rejection were in each case.

John Penrose: The Gambling Commission have advised that the following local authorities have rejected licence applications for the following sites:
	Haringey Local Authority-Green Lanes
	Brent Local Authority-Ealing Road Wembley
	Havering Local Authority-South Street
	Camden Local Authority-Kingsway
	Brent Local Authority-Kilburn High Rd
	This information is based solely on returns from local authorities. The Commission does not hold details, and is not supplied details of the grounds for a rejection.

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many staff worked in his Department's ministerial support office on  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) 1 July 2010.

John Penrose: The Department employed four staff in the ministerial support office on  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) 1 July 2010.
	I would also refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 28W about the number of staff employed in the private office of each Minister in the Department.

Departmental Official Cars

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which Ministers in his Department have used an allocated ministerial car to travel between the Department and the House of Commons on each day since 21 May 2010.

John Penrose: None.

Departmental Official Cars

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 23 June,  Official Report, column 212W, on departmental official cars, how many  (a) civil servants and  (b) special advisers in his Department have used (i) a car with a dedicated driver, (ii) a car from the Government car pool and (iii) a taxi ordered through a departmental account since 7 May 2010.

John Penrose: There are no civil servants or special advisers in DCMS who have used a car with a dedicated driver or a car from the Government car pool since 7 May 2010.
	Six civil servants have used a taxi ordered through departmental accounts since 7 May 2010.

English Heritage: Finance

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much funding English Heritage has received from his Department through grant in aid in the last 12 months.

John Penrose: English Heritage received £131.072 million grant in aid in the financial year 2009-10.

Listed Buildings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether he plans to publish online the names of all listed buildings in England.

John Penrose: English Heritage already maintains Listed Buildings Online, a website which publishes these data in a searchable format:
	http://lbonline.english-heritage.org.uk/Login.aspx
	English Heritage is currently working on an enhanced searchable online database of all nationally designated heritage assets and world heritage sites with clear supporting data, including mapping which should be ready by the end of the year.

Listed Buildings

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport which buildings have been granted listed building status since 12 May 2010.

John Penrose: English Heritage maintains Listed Buildings Online, a website which publishes this data in a searchable format
	http://lbonline.english-heritage.org.uk/Login.aspx

National Lottery: Disposable Income

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what estimate his Department has made of the average proportion of disposable income spent on National Lottery games and scratch-cards, as a percentage of disposable income by those in socio-economic groups  (a) A, B and C1 and  (b) C2, D and E.

John Penrose: The National Lottery Commission (NLC) has advised that they do not hold the information in the requested format.
	Research by the Operator of the National Lottery, Camelot, shows that 70% of the UK adult population play national lottery games on a regular basis, with an average weekly player spend of approximately £3.
	The demographics of national lottery players are almost an exact match with the demographics of the UK population.

Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what discussions he plans to have with the Northern Ireland Executive on the contribution of Northern Ireland to the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: I am committed to ensuring that the benefits of the London 2012 games are felt right across the UK and Northern Ireland, and will be looking for an opportunity to meet with the Northern Ireland Executive to discuss their plans as soon as it is practicable to do so.

Olympic Games 2012: Tickets

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 23 June 2010,  Official Report, column 243W, on Olympic Games 2012: tickets, how many tickets the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games will make available for purchase by the Government.

Hugh Robertson: Further to my answer of 23 June 2010, Official Report, column 243W, the number of tickets potentially available to Government to purchase is not yet finalised, but will be before spring 2011.

Tennis: Schools

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will hold discussions with the Lawn Tennis Association on increasing participation in tennis by children from state schools.

Hugh Robertson: I will continue, in the normal course of business, to meet the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to discuss key issues in the sport, including increasing participation by children.
	Sport England and the LTA, as a part of their Whole Sport Plan, also continue to discuss the AEGON Schools Tennis Programme, delivered by the Tennis Foundation with LTA support, to increase tennis among children and young people in state schools. This programme includes providing training for teachers, resources and equipment for schools, and supporting activity outside school hours.
	Furthermore, we expect tennis to play a prominent role and to capitalise on the huge demand and potential that exists in schools as part of our plan to set up an Olympic and Paralympic-style competition. This will be a nationwide competition that is open to every school and every child in the country.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Electoral Register

Chris Evans: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in each parliamentary constituency who are eligible to be on the electoral roll but are not on it; and what assessment he has made of the accuracy of such estimates.

Mark Harper: The Government have not made such an estimate. The Electoral Commission's Report: "The completeness and accuracy of electoral registers in Great Britain", published in March 2010, indicates that:
	"Estimates based on Census records suggest that the completeness of the registers was at 93.5% in 1980, 91 to 93% in 1990 and 91 to 92% in 2000. Evidence available from electoral statistics and surveys of levels of response to the annual canvass of electors suggests that there was a decline in registration levels from the late 1990s to 2006. The same evidence base suggests that the registers have stabilised since 2006, although it is likely that the completeness of the registers has declined since the last national estimate in 2000."
	The Report also says the process of estimating registration rates is an:
	"imprecise science"
	and says that
	"All current approaches to estimating the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers at a national level are imperfect,"
	but that
	"The completeness of Great Britain's electoral registers remains broadly similar to the levels achieved in comparative countries."

Polling Stations: Access

Richard Fuller: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to require that all polling stations to be used at the next general election are fully accessible to the disabled.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Administration Act 2006 extended the existing provisions for making polling places and stations, as far as practicable, accessible for electors who are disabled. Under the Act local authorities were required to undertake a review of polling places in their area within 12 months of the obligation starting to apply to them. An additional obligation was imposed to carry out further reviews at least every four years. This should mean that polling places are regularly checked for accessibility, and consideration given to making reasonable improvements where practicable.
	It is important that polling stations are accessible to all voters. The Government will look at this issue with reference to the current legislative framework to see if improvements need to be made.

CABINET OFFICE

Departmental Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff worked in his Department's ministerial support office on  (a) 1 May 2010 and  (b) 1 July 2010.

Francis Maude: At 1 May 2010, the Cabinet Office had 10 members of staff within the ministerial support office. As of the 1 July 2010, the office has nine members of staff.

Departmental Responsibilities

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the roles and responsibilities are of each Minister in his Department.

Francis Maude: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 47WS.

Employment: Retail Trade

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of  (a) full and  (b) part-time employees working in corner shops and small convenience stores.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated July 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, 1 have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of (a) full and (b) part-time employees working in corner shops and small convenience stores. (5478)
	Estimates of employment specifically in corner shops and small convenience stores are not available. Alternative estimates are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) of employment by type of retail store according to the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007. Those estimates can be categorised according to the size of the store in terms of the number of its employees, as reported by LFS respondents. For the three-month period January-March 2010 it is estimated that, in the UK, there were 23,000 full-time and 56,000 part-time employees working in non-specialised retail stores where food, beverages or tobacco predominate and which had ten employees or fewer.
	These estimates are not seasonally adjusted. As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty.

Former Ministers: Pay

Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what the cost has been of resettlement payments made to Ministers from each Department who left office at the general election.

Francis Maude: Severance payments for paid Government Ministers and other office holders are governed by legislation, specifically section 5 of the Ministerial and other Pensions and Salaries Act 1991. Those individuals who leave office under the age of 65 and who do not take up another relevant office within three weeks (six weeks for Opposition office holders at the time of the election) are entitled to receive one-quarter of their annual claimed salary as a severance payment.
	I provide here the total cost of severance payments made by each Department to all their eligible Ministers and other office holders in the former Government. These are separate from resettlement grants available to members of Parliament upon leaving the House of Commons.
	
		
			  Total severance payments to all eligible former Ministers in each Department 
			  Department  £ 
			 Business, Innovation and Skills 54,626 
			 Cabinet Office 37,464 
			 Communities and Local Government 55,339 
			 Culture, Media and Sport 27,302 
			 Children, Schools and Families 75,870 
			 Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 37,464 
			 Foreign and Commonwealth Office 37,464 
			 Health 75,870 
			 Home Office 73,421 
			 International Development 37,464 
			 Ministry of Defence 55,546 
			 Ministry of Justice 53,832 
			 Northern Ireland Office 10,162 
			 Scotland Office 51,448 
			 Transport 52,177 
			 HM Treasury (1)170,146 
			 Treasury Solicitors 44,884 
			 Wales Office 27,302 
			 Work and Pensions 73,421 
			 (1) Includes severance payments made to Government Whips in the House of Commons and House of Lords.

Government Departments: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office for what reasons non-departmental public bodies were not included in the Central Office of Information's report on Government on the internet.

Francis Maude: The first round of reporting of cost and usage was limited to websites run directly by the main departments in order to cover a significant majority of the costs while testing and gaining experience with the new methodology for cost and usage measurement. In the light of the success of the first round it is now intended to extend the methodology to other agency and non-departmental public body websites for the second and subsequent reports.

Government Departments: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  how many requests he has received to open new Government websites since 12 May 2010;
	(2)  if he will publish a list of Government websites which end in the suffix gov.uk.

Nick Hurd: I have asked the chief executive of the Central Office of Information to write to the hon. Member.
	 Letter from Mark Lund, dated 30 June 2010:
	As Chief Executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions 5733 & 5735 regarding Government Website domain name information.
	Eighteen .gov.uk domain names have been requested since 12 May 2010.
	A list of all government sites ending .gov.uk. is not held centrally within HMG. JANET (UK) hold the register of .gov.uk domain names and provide public access via its "whois" lookup service
	http://www.ja.net/services/whois/lookup.php

Government Departments: Internet

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what Government websites his Department has identified for closure by September.

Francis Maude: I have made a commitment to review the existing 820 Government funded websites by the Spending Review in September this year. Expectations are that the review will aim to shut down up to 75% of the existing sites and then look at how to reduce costs by up to 50% on the remaining sites.
	The most recent closure by the Cabinet Office was the Modernisation Fund website which was closed on 29 June 2010.

Government Departments: Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, column 450W, on government departments: manpower, which organisations at what addresses were contacted as part of the scoping exercise; and which of these returned the information requested.

Francis Maude: All Government Departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) were within scope for this exercise. Organisations were contacted, via e-mail, through their HR Directors or equivalent.
	Where appropriate, Departments were requested to co-ordinate returns for their respective agencies and NDPBs.
	The list of those organisations responding in time to be included for publication was published on 18 June 2010 and is available on the Cabinet Office website at:
	www.cabinet-office.gov.uk

Lord Lieutenancies

Ben Wallace: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Lord Lieutenancies in each constituent part of the UK are  (a) filled and  (b) vacant; what the reasons are for each vacancy; and when he expects each vacancy to be filled.

Mark Harper: There are no vacancies in England, Northern Ireland and Wales. The post of Lord-Lieutenant of Aberdeenshire is in the process of being filled, following the retirement of the incumbent.

Transparency Board

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  if he will publish each  (a) paper and  (b) email note produced for consideration at the transparency board meeting of 24 June 2010;
	(2)  if he will publish the minutes of the transparency board meeting of 24 June 2010.

Francis Maude: Yes: I have already published the draft public data principles discussed by the Transparency Board at its meeting on 24 June, and will place them in the Library of the House. I will shortly similarly publish the minutes, terms of reference and the other paper considered by the Board.

EDUCATION

Academies: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether higher level special needs provision in new academy schools will be financed by the local education authority or by the school.

Nick Gibb: Funding of academies for special educational needs (SEN), except for those pupils with individually assigned resources, is paid by the Young People's Learning Agency, not by the local authority. Where a pupil attracts individually assigned SEN resources, for low-incidence SEN, the local authority will continue to pay these directly.

Departmental Reviews

Andrew Miller: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 June 2010,  Official Report, column 137W, on Government Departments: reviews, what reviews his Department is undertaking; and what the  (a) purpose and  (b) timescale of each is.

Michael Gove: The coalition agreement sets out in detail the Government's future plans, including the key reviews they will be undertaking. My Department will bring forward detailed information about these reviews in due course.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Agriculture: Regulation

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will appoint a trade union representative to the new taskforce for food and farming regulation.

James Paice: The taskforce on farming regulation's membership and terms of reference will be announced in the near future.
	The taskforce will consist of a small dynamic group of individuals invited for their personal experience and not as representatives of specific sectors. The taskforce will consult widely and welcome input from all interested parties, including trade unions.

Bees

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information her Department  (a) holds and  (b) has requested on the effect of pesticides on bee brains and the bee population; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: DEFRA does not hold any information on the effects of pesticides on bee brains. The successful projects to be funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative, which is being part funded by DEFRA, were announced on 22 June, and will include an investigation into whether chronic exposure to certain chemicals is interfering with information flow in bee brains and affecting foraging, navigation and communication.

Bees

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will undertake an investigation to establish whether mobile telecommunications masts have any effects on populations of honey bees.

James Paice: The Food and Environment Research Agency's National Bee Unit (NBU) has recently been investigating the causes of colony losses in England and Wales and the key results have been published on its website:
	www.nationalbeeunit.com
	The results have shown that the most important risk factor in the mortality or weakening of colonies is deformed wing virus, a virus transmitted by the parasitic varroa mite, clearly indicating failed or unsuccessful treatments of mite infestations.
	There is currently no evidence to suggest that mobile telecommunications masts are having an effect on bee populations and this is not an avenue of research that is being considered in the USA, where Colony Collapse Disorder has been confirmed.

Biodiversity

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps her Department is taking to protect threatened species in  (a) England and  (b) the West Midlands;
	(2)  what steps her Department is taking to encourage biodiversity in  (a) England and  (b) the West Midlands.

Richard Benyon: Biodiversity is one of DEFRA's highest priorities. We will promote green spaces and wildlife corridors to restore and increase biodiversity. Our White Paper on the natural environment will contain more detail on our plans. In the meantime we will continue ongoing action to protect the best wildlife sites; promote recovery of priority species and habitats through a landscape-scale approach; and embed proper consideration of biodiversity and ecosystem services into all relevant sectors of policy and decision-making.
	Natural England is the lead delivery body for the Government's strategy to conserve wildlife in England. Examples of Natural England's action in the West Midlands include:
	Increasing the total area of the most important sites for nature conservation-Sites of Special Scientific Interest-in the region in favourable or recovering condition; this being 20,000 hectares or 89.75% of the total resource in the region.
	Getting 63% of the utilisable agricultural area of the region under an agri-environment agreement through £40 million of annual investment in environmental stewardship and classic schemes, which pay land managers to manage their land in ways that benefits biodiversity, the historic environment and the landscape.
	In particular through the higher level stewardship scheme bringing over 3,000 hectares of existing wildlife habitats into favourable management and creating an additional 450 hectares of new habitats across the region, and bringing an additional 800 hectares of farmland under specific agreement to provide suitable feeding and breeding habitats for target species of farmland birds.
	Ensuring that 2,816 hectares (97.3%) of the region's National Nature Reserves are in favourable or recovering condition.
	Providing funding of £186,000 in 2009-10 to regional and local biodiversity partnerships in the West Midlands, and supporting the local Wildlife Trusts and the RSPB on Wetland Vision, Lapwing Meadows and other projects, with more than £60,000 of funding in the same year.

Biodiversity: International Cooperation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is on the UN Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services.

Richard Benyon: We strongly welcome the recent agreement that the UN General Assembly should establish the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). IPBES will provide governments and policy makers across the world with independent and trusted scientific advice so that we can take action to protect the world's biodiversity. It will help ensure the best available science underpins work towards the achievement of a post-2010 biodiversity target.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to announce her decision on the badger vaccine deployment project in the Stroud area; and what assessment she has made of its likely effectiveness in controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

James Paice: On 25 June I announced that the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project (BVDP) has been reviewed and will proceed only in one area (Gloucestershire, near Stroud), in order to help maintain capacity at the Food and Environment Research Agency to train lay vaccinators. Badger sett surveys will also be completed in the Gloucestershire area near Cheltenham since this was already well under way. The areas in Staffordshire, Herefordshire/Worcestershire and Devon where the BVDP was due to take place will not now be trapped and vaccinated as part of the project.
	The BVDP is a practical project aimed at passing on the skills to trap and vaccinate badgers in the wild. It was not designed as a scientific study to assess the effectiveness of controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has  (a) commissioned and  (b) undertaken a cost-benefit analysis of the effectiveness of (i) badger vaccine deployment projects and (ii) badger culling as a method of controlling the spread of bovine tuberculosis.

James Paice: The coalition Government have committed to introduce a carefully managed and science-led policy of badger control in areas with high and persistent levels of bovine tuberculosis as part of a package of measures on bovine TB. We are currently looking at options including culling and vaccination. We will set out our proposals in due course, including impact assessments that will detail the expected costs, benefits and effectiveness of the measures.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department estimates it will spend on  (a) the badger vaccination demonstration projects and  (b) bovine tuberculosis vaccination research in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13.

James Paice: The estimated cost of the Badger Vaccine Deployment Project is as follows:
	(i) 2010-11-£614,000;
	(ii) 2011-12-£418,000;
	(iii) 2012-13-£418,000.
	Estimated future spending on bovine tuberculosis vaccination research is as follows:
	(i) £6,618,555 committed in 2010-11;
	(ii) £3,594,760 committed so far in 2011-12;
	(iii) No funds committed yet in 2012-13.
	These figures show committed funds only and are therefore likely to be underestimates of total spend. Spend for future years will be determined in light of the Spending Review.

Departmental NDPBs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which her Department is responsible.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA's non-departmental public bodies, including their addresses, are listed in the Department's Public Bodies return which is on the Department's website at:
	www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/with/delivery/landscape/documents/public-bodies.pdf

Departmental Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 3 June 2010,  Official Report, column 53W, on departmental manpower, what the salary range is of staff employed at each grade in the private office of each Minister in her Department.

Richard Benyon: Each grade has its own salary band. The salary bands for those grades of staff employed across the ministerial private offices are set out in the following table. Staff may be at any salary point within the pay band quoted for their grade.
	
		
			  Grade  Salary range 
			 Senior civil service pay band 1 £58,200-£117,800 
			 Grade 7 £47,847-£57,432 
			 Higher executive officer £29,848-£34,584 
			 Fast stream £26,840-£33,654 
			 Executive officer £25,363-£29,063 
			 Administration officer £21,024-22,816

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to analyse the distributional effect of the options for reductions in her Department's expenditure.

Richard Benyon: The Government set out in their document "Spending Review Framework" that they will
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions."
	(2.4, page 7)
	Further information will be available at the spending review.

Domestic Waste: Recycling

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take to encourage households to increase the amount that they recycle.

Richard Benyon: Decisions about the waste collection and recycling service offered to households are rightly for local authorities to make, taking into account what is appropriate to the circumstances in their local area. This Government believe in incentives rather than penalties, and we encourage councils to reward people for the right behaviours and incentivise them to recycle more.
	This Government are clear that we need to go faster and further than has to date been the case in our approach to recycling. We have announced a full review of waste policy in England, including looking at the effect of waste policies on local communities and individual households, and how local authorities can work with people to make the best decisions.

Food Supply

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to encourage self-sufficiency in food production in the UK.

James Paice: DEFRA will continue to support British farming and encourage a sustainable increase in UK production to meet consumer demand, while maintaining a stable and diverse range of supply sources. This balance lowers the risk to our food supply system from unexpected shocks or disruption suffered by trading partners or in our own domestic production.

Food: Standards

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate has been made of the cost to Government Departments of the introduction of a policy that all food procured by such Departments must meet British standards of production.

James Paice: The Government are committed to ensuring that food procured by Government Departments, and eventually the whole public sector, meets British standards of production or their equivalent, wherever this can be achieved without increasing overall costs. DEFRA has not therefore made an assessment of the cost to individual Government Departments. It is for individual Government Departments to assess whether or not the commitment can be met without increasing overall costs.
	I am aware of a number of excellent examples of public sector bodies that have improved the quality and sustainability of the food they serve while at the same time keeping steady, or even reducing their overall costs, so I am convinced that this can be done where there is a will to do it and where central Government Departments show leadership.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Food

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the European Commission on its review of EU legislation on genetically modified food.

James Paice: The Commission is expected to issue a report this autumn that reviews the operation of the EU legislation on the release of genetically modified (GM) organisms and the marketing of GM food and feed products. DEFRA Ministers have not discussed this initiative with the Commission.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Potatoes

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what research and development grants her Department has provided for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to late blight since May 1997, including for research into resistance genes and mechanisms;
	(2)  what research and development grants her Department has provided for the development of potatoes resistant to late blight using traditional breeding since May 1997.

James Paice: DEFRA has not provided funding for any projects developing blight resistant potatoes using genetic modification or through traditional breeding techniques since May 1997.
	A collaborative project on agronomic methods for control of the disease is being funded with industry under the Sustainable Arable Link Programme.

Genetically Modified Organisms: Potatoes

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research and development grants her Department has provided for the development of genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato cyst eelworm since May 1997.

James Paice: DEFRA contributed to the following collaborative research project funded with industry, which included the development of potato cyst nematode resistant potatoes through genetic modification.
	
		
			  Project number  Project title  Start date  End date  DEFRA grant (£) 
			 LK0502 Engineering resistance to nematodes by controlled and specific plant attenuation. 1 May 1996 31 August 2000 87,495 
		
	
	Under the Government Partnership Award Scheme DEFRA has also contributed £41,250 (15% of total cost) to a Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) project-'An effective basis for control of potato cyst nematode and assessment of the impact on soil health'-which included assessment of genetically modified potato plants.

Mackerel

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what instructions she has given to her negotiating team for the 29 June 2010 meeting of the Fisheries Council on the UK allocations for mackerel; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: At the Fisheries Council on 29 June 2010 the UK plans to make clear that Iceland and the Faroe Islands should promote responsible fishing and that their current actions are unacceptable. We want an agreement to be reached as soon as possible on the negotiations but behaviour that undermines the long-term health of the mackerel stock should not be rewarded when quotas are allocated between different coastal states.

Milk

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to provide dairy farmers with a greater margin on milk sold in supermarkets.

James Paice: The Government have committed to create an ombudsman in the Office of Fair Trading to enforce the provisions of the Grocery Supplies Code of Practice (GSCOP). The GSCOP will control supply chain practices, such as retrospective price changing, that transfer excessive risks and unexpected costs from retailers to their suppliers.

Packaging

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to reduce the amount of unnecessary packaging.

Richard Benyon: There are two sets of regulations that encourage producers to minimise, recycle and recover packaging and reduce packaging waste: the essential requirements and the producer responsibility regulations.
	More still needs to be done to reduce the amount of packaging and packaging waste being generated, however. 'Responsibility deals' such as the Courtauld Commitment have proven to be a good way by which Government and industry can work together to tackle this problem. In 2008 signatories to phase 1 of the Commitment achieved their target to halt growth in grocery packaging. Signatories are now building on this achievement and working towards the targets set in phase 2 of the Commitment, one of which is to reduce the carbon impact of grocery packaging by 10% by 2012.
	In carrying out our review of waste policy we will consider the possibility of extending 'responsibility deals' like the Courtauld Commitment to other sectors.

Potatoes

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research and development grants her Department has provided for the development of agronomic methods for controlling potato cyst eelworm since May 1997.

James Paice: DEFRA has provided funding for the following research projects that contribute to improved control of potato cyst nematode/eelworm through improved agronomic practice.
	
		
			  Project number  Project title  Start date  End date  DEFRA grant (£) 
			 HP0124T Improved estimation of between and within field distribution of potato cyst nematodes and the implications for sampling 1 April 1997 31 March 2000 432,661 
			 HP0126 PCN - biological control. 1 April 1997 31 March 2000 168,000 
			 HP0133 Validation of PCR-based techniques alongside other technique used to determine the species of PCN and the increase... 1 January 1999 31 May 1999 15,000 
			 HP0139 Within-field population changes of potato cyst nematodes related to potato yield and nematicide treatments 1 April 2000 31 March 2001 36,526 
			 HP0115 Impact of nematophagous fungi on the regulation of potato cyst nematode populations 1 April 2000 1 April 2003 204,950 
			 LK0918(1) Integrated control for PCN 1 January 2001 31 December 2004 467,803 
			 HP0143 Development of a robust assay to estimate the viability of potato cyst nematodes Globodera spp. 1 February 2003 31 January 2004 35,686 
			 HH3111TPO Investigation of potato cyst nematode (PCN) control 1 March 2003 31 August 2003 32,400 
			 HH3110SPO Nematode destroying microbes and the decline of potato cyst nematodes 1 April 2003 1 April 2004 74,011 
			 LK0955(1) Development of drip irrigation technology as a delivery system for the improved targeting and control of nematode pests in a range of root crops 1 April 2004 31 March 2007 211,764 
			 LK0966(1) Managing potato cyst nematode through maximising natural decline and population suppression 1 January 2006 31 December 2008 209,195 
			 (1) LK0918, LK0955 and LK0966 were collaborative projects with industry in the Sustainable Arable Link Programme.

Potatoes

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if  (a) she and  (b) other Ministers in her Department will visit the Sárvári Research Trust's blight resistant potato trials in 2010.

James Paice: DEFRA Ministers do not currently have plans to visit the Sárvári Research Trust.

Six-Day Rule

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the oral answer to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale of 24 June 2010,  Official Report, column 412, what advice she has received on the effect on the spread of  (a) bovine tuberculosis and  (b) other animal diseases of ending the six-day movement rule.

James Paice: The advice I have received is that standstills confer significant protection against the spread of fast moving diseases such as foot and mouth. The biggest factor in the size of an outbreak is the length of time between the disease entering the country and its detection (the so called silent spread period-typically three weeks). Properly observed standstills limit the number of movements livestock can make during this period and hence reduce the number of potentially infected premises. Standstills are not effective against slower moving diseases such as bovine tuberculosis. As I said in my reply to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron), the six-day rule will be considered by the taskforce.

Water Charges

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the monetary value is of the fund accumulated from water abstraction charges through the environmental improvement unit charge; and how much has been  (a) paid from and  (b) committed from this fund since its inception.

Richard Benyon: The value of the fund accumulated from water abstraction charges through the environmental improvement unit charge is £11.96 million. To date no compensation has been paid. In 2010-11 the Environment Agency allocated around £6 million for environmental improvements in East Anglia and the North West. Implementation of these schemes is awaiting ministerial approval.
	Once the solution to an abstraction problem has been identified, its delivery is subject to the speed of recovery of funds, ministerial approval and, if necessary, a decision by the Lands Tribunal to decide the level of compensation payable.

Water: Private Sector

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the transfer of responsibility for private drains and sewers to water companies; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: I am aware of concern for certainty about the timing of the private sewers transfer.
	The Government are currently considering how to take forward previously announced proposals for the transfer of private sewers and lateral drains connected to the public sewerage system into the ownership of the water and sewerage companies in England.

Whales: Conservation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she plans to take  (a) to ensure the conservation of whales and  (b) to oppose commercial whaling.

Richard Benyon: I attended the annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission in Agadir, Morocco in June 2010 and worked strongly with the Commission and others to ensure that the EU took a strong, pro-conservation position and resisted a proposal which would have effectively legitimised a resumption of commercial whaling.
	We will continue to strive to ensure long-term protection and conservation of whale populations worldwide. This Government oppose the resumption of commercial whaling, and protecting the moratorium on commercial whaling is of great importance.

Whales: Conservation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the government of Japan on the moratorium on commercial whaling; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: At the recent annual meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in June, 2010 (IWC62) the UK called on countries to cease their lethal whaling operations and engage only in non-lethal research on whales.
	I will shortly be writing to the Japanese Fisheries Minister to express the UK's continued opposition to the killing of whales in the southern and Northwest Pacific oceans, and to the hunting of small cetaceans in Japanese coastal waters.
	The UK Government will continue to make our position known to Japan at every appropriate opportunity and argue that Japanese whaling operations undermine the credibility of the IWC as an effective organisation for the conservation of cetacean stocks world-wide.

Wildlife: Crime

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has made an estimate of the number of individuals involved in committing offences related to wildlife crime reported in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: We have not made an estimate of the number of individuals involved in committing offences related to wildlife crime reported in the last 12 months. Information upon which to base an estimate is not held centrally.

Wind Power: Fisheries

Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will discuss with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change steps to mitigate the effects on the UK fishing industry of  (a) offshore wind farms and  (b) other clean energy projects.

Richard Benyon: The licensing process for offshore wind farms includes the consideration of a range of impacts, including those on other uses of the sea, such as fisheries activity. DEFRA officials and officials in the Marine Management Organisation are engaged in the licensing process to ensure that offshore renewable energy is taken forward sustainably.
	Prior to the licensing process commencing, fisheries were considered at a strategic level in the Offshore Energy Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) 2009 for some 33 GW of offshore wind. Furthermore, fisheries will be considered in the new Offshore Energy SEA2 that is currently under way to assess oil and gas, gas storage, offshore wind and wave and tidal activities. Both SEAs were produced by the Department for Energy and Climate Change and further details are available at:
	www.offshore-sea.org.uk/site/index.php
	In addition, DEFRA officials are working to implement the provisions of the Marine and Coastal Access Act to develop new marine planning and licensing systems that will help to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, and are working with officials in other Departments to deliver this.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Animal Experiments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward proposals to end the testing of household products on animals.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to ending the testing of household products on animals. Work is under way to define the range of products affected and to determine how this can best be achieved. I am not yet in a position to confirm when such testing will be finally brought to an end, but hope to be able to do so shortly.

Animal Experiments

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to bring forward proposals to reduce the use of animals in scientific research.

Lynne Featherstone: The Government are committed to work to reduce the use of animals in scientific research. I am currently considering how this can best be achieved. I am not yet in a position to confirm when measures will be introduced.

British Nationality: War Crimes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been prosecuted for an offence of fraud in connection with lying on immigration or citizenship application forms about participation in war crimes.

Damian Green: There have been no prosecutions for fraud in connection with lying on immigration or citizenship application forms about participation in war crimes.

British Nationality: War Crimes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Preseli, Pembrokeshire of 24 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 351-52W, on the UK Border Agency's War Crimes Unit, what the country of origin is of those recommended for refusal/exclusion in each year since 2004.

Damian Green: UKBA does not disclose information on the country of origin of individuals recommended for refusal/exclusion due to the suspicion of involvement in war crimes. This information is operationally sensitive and disclosure could damage immigration control.

British Nationality: War Crimes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Preseli, Pembrokeshire of 24 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 351-52W, on the UK Border Agency's War Crimes Unit, how many people the Border Agency recommended for refusal/exclusion in each year since 2004 are still in the UK.

Damian Green: The UKBA does not hold this information. The UKBA only collates statistics on the number of cases referred to its specialist research team, and the recommendations that the team makes.

British Nationality: War Crimes

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Preseli Pembrokeshire of 24 March 2010,  Official Report, columns 351-52W, on the UK Border Agency's War Crimes Unit, how many people whose cases the Border Agency referred to the Metropolitan police in each year since 2004 are still in the UK.

Damian Green: The UKBA does not hold this information. The UKBA only collates statistics on the number of cases referred to its specialist research team, and the recommendations that the team makes.

Cannabis

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to  (a) reduce the use of cannabis inhaling devices and  (b) restrict the availability of devices which can be used to inhale cannabis through high street shops.

Nick Herbert: The National Policing Improvement Agency and the Association for Chief Police Officers in England and Wales and Northern Ireland have issued "Practice Advice on Tackling Commercial Cultivation and Headshops". This guidance can be found at:
	www.npia.police.uk/en/docs/Cannabis_Cultivation_R.pdf
	It directs police, local authorities and other partners to legislation and powers that can be used to curtail the sale and promotion of drugs paraphernalia, including inhaling devices, by taking local, targeted action.
	Legislation available to enforcement authorities includes section 9A of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 which establishes an offence to supply any article, often referred to as drug paraphernalia, which may be used for administering or preparing an illegal drug, believing that the article is to be used in this way.

Community Policing

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to review the effectiveness of safer neighbourhood team policing.

Nick Herbert: The Government support neighbourhood policing. The programme set out by the Coalition explains our approach to policing with greater freedom for police forces from ministerial control, police forces which are better able to deal with the crime and anti-social behaviour that blights people's lives, and are much more accountable to the public they serve. This includes:
	directly elected individuals to make the police more accountable
	reducing bureaucracy that hinders the police, and introducing better technology
	publishing crime maps showing the public what is happening on their streets, and
	regular beat meetings allowing residents to hold the police to account.
	We will consider how neighbourhood policing-working with local government and other local partners-can take forward these aims.

Control Orders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) people and  (b) foreign nationals were subject to a control order in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008, (v) 2009 and (vi) 2010 to date.

Nick Herbert: The Secretary of State reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on a quarterly basis and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required. As the figures for control orders vary within any given year, the hon. Member is advised to consult the reports which include the number of individuals subject to a control order and the number who are foreign nationals.
	I accordingly refer my hon. Friend to these reports, dated 21 June 2010, 16 March 2010, 15 December 2009, 16 September 2009, 15 June 2009, 12 March 2009, 15 December 2008, 15 September 2008, 12 June 2008, 13 March 2008, 12 December 2007, 17 September 2007, 21 June 2007, 24 May 2007, 22 March 2007, 16 January 2007, 11 December 2006, 11 September 2006, 12 June 2006, 13 March 2006.
	Further reports dated 12 December 2005, 10 October 2005 and 16 June 2005 include the number of individuals subject to a control order but do not include the number of foreign nationals. The number of foreign nationals in these reports is seven, two and 11 respectively.

Control Orders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are subject to a control order.

Nick Herbert: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary reports to Parliament on the exercise of her powers under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on a quarterly basis and additionally on an ad hoc basis if required.
	These reports include the number of individuals subject to a control order. I refer my hon. Friend to the most recent such report, published on 21 June 2010, which indicates that as of 10 June 2010, the last date covered by the report, there were 12 control orders in force.
	These reports give as much information as we can provide about controlled individuals, given the national security sensitivities of these cases, and the need to avoid publishing any information that could lead to the identification of an individual who is subject to an anonymity order.

Counter-terrorism: Birmingham

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place for the sharing of information gathered from monitoring undertaken under Project Champion in Birmingham, Hall Green constituency.

Nick Herbert: The system design for Project Champion will ensure that all data from ANPR cameras is presented, as is the case with other existing ANPR provision, to the West Midlands Police back-office-facility for onward transmission to the ANPR National Data Centre.
	As such, only police officers and police support officers will have access to the data which, as "personal data" is defined by Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and must be compliant with the principles of DPA and conform to existing force policy. De-personalised data will be shared under existing Safer Birmingham Partnership (SBP) information sharing protocols
	The system design for Project Champion will ensure that CCTV imagery data will be dealt with in accordance with existing force policy, including an information sharing protocol. Data would be shared with existing local authority CCTV monitoring arrangements in accordance with existing force policy. Additionally, viewing capability is planned to be provided to local policing (via Birmingham East LPU Contact Centre at Stechford Police Station) and to the Counter Terrorism Unit.

Departmental Legislation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are working on the Identity Documents Bill; and how many are working on preparations for  (a) the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill and  (b) the Freedom (Great Repeal) Bill.

Damian Green: The Identity Documents Bill is managed by a Bill manager who engages as and when required with colleagues across the Identity and Passport Service.
	There are currently two people working full-time on the Bill management of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill. There are also a number of policy officials and legal advisors contributing to various aspects of the Bill.
	A number of officials in the Home Office and other Government Departments are providing advice on a range of policy options for possible inclusion in the Freedom Bill. The exact content of the Bill will be announced in due course and, until this has been determined, it is not possible to know how many officials will be involved in preparation of the Bill.
	Scrapping the ID cards scheme will result in net savings of £86 million over the next four years.

Departmental Private Finance Initiative

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the revenue cost of each project sponsored by her Department under the private finance initiative over the lifetime of the project.

Nick Herbert: The estimated cost of each PFI project sponsored by the Home Department over the lifetime of the project is as follows:
	
		
			  Commissioning body  Project name  Estimated cost over lifetime of project  (£ million) 
			 Cheshire Police Authority Centralised Custody Suites 185.62 
			 Cheshire Police Authority Force HQ 159.44 
			 Cleveland Police Rationalised Custody 128.44 
			 Cleveland Police and Durham Constabulary Firearms Facility 34.43 
			 Cumbria Constabulary Workington Police Station 25.18 
			 Derbyshire Police Divisional HQ 116.27 
			 Derbyshire Police Ilkeston Police Station 14.16 
			 Dorset Police Joint Emergency Services Project 171.28 
			 Dorset Police Regional HQ and City Police Stations 92.62 
			 Dyfed Powys Police Authority Ammanford Police Station 19.18 
			 Gloucestershire Constabulary Force HQ 87.99 
			 Greater Manchester Property Review-Divisional/Sub Divisional HQ and Police Stations 290.17 
			 Gwent Police Tstrad Mynach Police Station 30.32 
			 Home Office Home Office Central London Accommodation Strategy 1,406.55 
			 Home Office IT2000 610.05 
			 Kent Constabulary Medway 86.92 
			 Kent Police North Kent PFI Project 71.52 
			 North Wales Divisional HQ 70.71 
			 Norfolk Police Constabulary HQ, Operations and Communications Centre 153.93 
			 Northumbria Police Mounted Facilities 4.13 
			 Nottinghamshire Police Traffic Wing and Vehicles Services 78.32 
			 Sussex Police Authority Centralised Custody Suites 270.04 
			 Thames Valley Police Abingdon Area DHQ 50.39 
			 Wiltshire Police Air Support 6.07 
			 Wiltshire Police HQ 72.58

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of her Department's contracts with its suppliers are under review as a result of the recently announced reductions in public expenditure; and what the monetary value is of all such contracts which are under review.

Nick Herbert: Work is presently under way in the Home Office led by our Commercial Department to manage the process of reviewing contracts with suppliers. Identification of the contracts for review has not yet been finalised.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officials in her Department are working on renegotiating contracts for the supply of goods and services to the Department as a result of recently announced reductions in public spending; what savings are expected to accrue to her Department from such renegotiations; how much expenditure her Department will incur on such renegotiations; and when such renegotiations will be completed.

Nick Herbert: Work is presently under way in the Home Office led by our Commercial Department to manage the process of any contract re-negotiation. The savings are, therefore, subject to commercial negotiation.
	Such negotiations will be undertaken by existing officials and it is difficult to quantify how much expenditure will be incurred, if any. Eventual costs and charges will be included in the final net savings and reported accordingly.

Deportation: Offenders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of proposed deportation extradition or other transfer of foreign nationals from the UK have been stopped by the UK court or her Department wholly or partially on  (a) any legal ground,  (b) human rights grounds relying on Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR),  (c) human rights grounds relying on Article 8 of the ECHR and  (d) human rights grounds relying on both Article 3 and Article 8 of the ECHR.

Damian Green: The Chief Executive of the UK Border Agency indicated in her letter to the Home Affairs Select Committee on 19 October 2009 that management information in this area is particularly complex.
	In order to provide a breakdown of specific reasons for deportation not to be pursued against a foreign national prisoner either at initial decision stage or following a successful appeal can only be obtained by investigating individual case-files which would incur a disproportionate cost.

Deportation: Offenders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals who are in prison or who have been convicted of a criminal offence but are not serving a custodial sentence are the subject of proceedings for deportation, extradition or other transfer to their country of nationality.

Damian Green: According to Ministry of Justice figures on 31 March 2010, there were 11,400 foreign nationals within the prison population (including those in the immigration removal centres Dover, Hasiar and Lindholme). This figure includes those held on remand, serving a custodial sentence (time-serving) and those held under immigration law (time-served). Foreign national prisoners will at some point during their sentence be considered for deportation against the following criteria;
	 A court recommendation;
	For non-EEA nationals-a custodial sentence of 12 months or more either in one sentence, or as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years or a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (an offence other than possession only);
	For EEA nationals - a custodial sentence of 12 months or more for an offence involving drugs, violent or sexual crimes or a custodial sentence of 24 months or more for other offences.
	There was a monthly average in 2009 of 550 time-served foreign national offenders detained in prisons who the UKBA was seeking deportation against.

Deportation: Offenders

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  with which countries the UK has a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the return of foreign nationals without the risk of torture or other inhuman and degrading treatment;
	(2)  with which countries the Government is negotiating with a view to signing a memorandum of understanding to facilitate the return of foreign nationals without the risk of torture or other inhuman or degrading treatment.

Damian Green: The UK has signed Memoranda of Understanding with Ethiopia, Jordan, Lebanon and Libya which set out in general terms the manner in which an individual deported to or from the UK and one of those countries under the terms of those Memoranda will be treated. Similar arrangements, which were set out in an exchange of letters between the then Prime Minister and the President of Algeria in July 2006, apply in respect of deportations from the UK to that country. The texts of these Memoranda and of the exchange of letters are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/counter-terrorism/targetting-terrorism
	We have made it clear that we intend to extend the practice of seeking assurances to more countries, but it would not be appropriate to identify the countries concerned until negotiations have been successfully concluded.

DNA: Databases

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases of  (a) homicide,  (b) rape,  (c) sexual assault and  (d) serious violence which took place in 2008-09 a sample from the DNA database of an individual who had previously been arrested but not charged with an offence was used in evidence.

Theresa May: DNA profiles on the National DNA Database are used to match against material taken from crime scenes. Any such match is used as a tool to direct an integrated criminal investigation, and all the normal investigative tools are used in building a case to the point where it is put before the courts.
	We do not hold centrally the number of DNA profiles from the Database used in evidence to secure a conviction. During 2008-9, there were four convictions for rape in which Senior Investigating Officers reported Database matches with unconvicted individuals that were of direct and specific value to the investigations. It is not possible to identify from the material held centrally the weight of other evidence available in these cases.
	No such reports were received in the other categories of case.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many overseas students were awaiting a decision on their application for a visa to study in the UK at the latest date for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: Our records show that, as of 31 March 2010, there were 28,610 student visa applicants who were awaiting a decision on their applications.
	This information is based on management information and as such has not been quality assured. It is provisional and subject to change.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the terms of reference are of the ministerial review of the points-based immigration system rules applied to visa application forms for overseas students wishing to study in the UK.

Damian Green: As the Home Secretary has indicated, the Government will be reviewing the non-economic immigration routes with a view to bringing forward proposals for parliamentary consideration in due course. I intend to undertake a thorough evaluation of the student system. The aim of that work will be to ensure that the right balance is struck between providing a user-friendly route for bona fide students and education providers and keeping out those who would seek to abuse the student system. The work will also take into account the Government's overall objective to reduce net migration to the tens of thousands by the end of the parliamentary term.

Identity Cards

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity cards have been provided free of charge under the provisions of the Identity Cards Act 2006.

Damian Green: Under the Identity Cards Act 2006, a provision was made for the issuance of identity cards to airside workers at no cost to the applicant. Across the two airports, 2,928 cards were issued.

Identity Cards

Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many identity cards have been provided to employees of  (a) Manchester Airport Group,  (b) London City Airport Group,  (c) her Department and  (d) other Government Departments.

Damian Green: The information is as follows:
	 (a) IPS has issued 2,426 cards to employees of the Manchester Airport Group.
	 (b) IPS has issued 502 cards to employees of the London City Airport Group.
	 (c and d) Information held on the NIR does not include the occupation of the individual.

Immigration Act 1971

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been under section (i) 5(1), (ii) 5(2), (iii) 5(3), and (iv) 20(1)(d) of the Immigration Act 1971 in each of the last 10 years.

Damian Green: Section five of the Immigration Act 1971 relates to the "procedure for, and further provision as to, deportation" not prosecutions or convictions. There is no Section 20(1)(d) within the Act.

Immigration Controls

Wayne David: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for an annual limit on the number of immigrants to the UK.

Damian Green: On 28 June the Government launched a 12 week consultation with businesses and other interested sectors on our plans for implementing annual limits on non-EU economic migration. At the same time, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary commissioned the independent Migration Advisory Committee to advise the Government on the level at which the first annual limit should be set. In order to prevent a surge of applications while we consult, we introduced an interim limit on the General routes of Tiers one and two of the Points Based System and raised the pass mark for all new Tier one (General) applicants to ensure that those coming through the route are the most valuable to the UK.

Immigration Controls: English Language

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what documents people making immigration applications as spouses and partners will be required to show to demonstrate that they have reached the A1 standard in the English language  (a) in the UK and  (b) when applying for entry clearance abroad.

Damian Green: On 9 June, my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced a new language requirement for those seeking entry to the UK as either a spouse or civil partner, fiancé(e) or proposed civil partner, unmarried partner or same sex partner of a British citizen or someone who is present and settled in the UK.
	Spouses and partners both in the UK and when applying for entry clearance abroad will need to demonstrate competence in English language speaking and listening at a basic level (Common European Framework of Reference, level A1). A spouse or partner will need to provide evidence to the UK Border Agency with their visa application that they have passed an English language test to this standard with one of the UK Border Agency's approved test providers. Details of acceptable qualifications, approved test providers and documentary evidence to be submitted with an application will be published on the UK Border Agency website at the earliest opportunity.

Immigration Controls: English Language

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the adequacy of teaching and examination facilities for the English language A1 standard examination for immigration purposes; what discussions she has had on the subject; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: The Government have received no formal representations on the adequacy of teaching and examination facilities for the A1 standard English language examination for immigration purposes.

Immigration: Hungary

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effect on levels of inward migration to the UK of the decision of the Hungarian government to grant Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarians in non-EU states.

Damian Green: No assessment has been made to date, but the UK Border Agency will continue to monitor closely any significant changes in numbers of individuals registering on the Worker Registration Scheme for workers from the A8 countries that acceded to the EU in 2004, or applying for EEA residence documentation.

National Referral Mechanism

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been referred to the National Referral Mechanism to date; and how many such people were subsequently indentified as victims of human trafficking.

Nick Herbert: National Referral Mechanism statistics are published quarterly on the SOCA website:
	www.soca.gov.uk/about-soca/about-the-ukhtc/statistical-data
	Between 1 April 2009 and 31 March 2010 706 individuals have been referred into the National Referral Mechanism. The breakdown of reasonable grounds decisions are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Accepted 358 
			 Not accepted 192 
			 Reconsideration-accepted 3 
			 Suspended 8 
			 Withdrawn 23 
			 No decision recorded 122 
			 Total 706 
		
	
	'Suspended' cases are where the individual has either absconded or is missing prior to the reasonable grounds decision being made.
	'Withdrawn' are cases where the individual no longer consents to the case being considered under the NRM or where the individual has left the UK prior to the reasonable grounds decision being made.
	'No decision recorded' means the decision has not been officially logged with UKHTC. In most instances this is where the reasonable grounds decision is still being considered.
	'Reconsideration-accepted' is where a negative decision has been reviewed and reversed. In most cases this is where new information has come to light.

Passports: Biometrics

Alan Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to announce the outcome of commercial negotiations with suppliers of second generation biometric passport technology; and what estimate she has made of the likely cost to the public purse of the termination of such contracts.

Theresa May: Commercial negotiations with suppliers whose contracts are affected by the decision to halt second generation biometric passports are ongoing and are currently planned to conclude by end-July 2010.
	We do not expect to terminate any contracts as a result of the decision to halt second biometric passports, but we do expect this to result in net savings to the exchequer of approximately £134 million over the period 2010-11 to 2013-14.
	Costs and savings specific to existing contracts remain the subject of commercial negotiation and to protect the taxpayers' interests will not be released until negotiations are complete.

Police Community Support Officers

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will take steps to increase the powers and responsibilities of Police Community Support Officers.

Nick Herbert: The Government recognise and values the role that police community support officers (PCSOs) play in neighbourhood policing. We do not believe that the powers of PCSOs should be further increased, not least because their purpose is to spend more time in communities. It is important that PCSOs have the right set of powers to meet their responsibilities; some of these are standard and some of these are discretionary. It is a matter for forces to determine the deployment of PCSOs and the discretionary powers granted to them.

Police: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on proposals to increase police numbers in Ashfield constituency.

Nick Herbert: None. Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff in Ashfield are a matter for the chief constable and police authority for Nottinghamshire.

Police: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers Nottingham Constabulary has assigned to Ashfield constituency; and what estimate she has made of the number of each to be assigned there in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2015.

Nick Herbert: Police personnel statistics are not collected by the Home Office by parliamentary constituency. Ashfield constituency is in the 'City of Nottingham' Basic Command Unit (BCU) (Area A).
	Latest available data show that there were 301 police officers in Nottinghamshire BCU area A and 44 police community support officers as at 31 March 2009.
	The estimate of the number of police officers and police community support officers Nottingham Constabulary will assign to Ashfield constituency in 2011 and 2015 is not available centrally. These decisions are made by the Chief Constable.

Police: Bureaucracy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the average annual amount of time taken by police officers on administrative tasks.

Nick Herbert: I refer the hon. Member to my written answer given on 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 149W.

Police: Elections

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what advice she has received from chief constables and other senior police officers on her plans to introduce elected police commissioners.

Nick Herbert: A number of constructive meetings have already taken place with the leadership of the service, giving both chief constables and the Government opportunities to set out their priorities for the development of the policy on directly elected individuals, including meetings between chief constables, the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary on 21 June, and the recent ACPO/APA conference (the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities).
	We will continue to seek input from policing professionals before the introduction of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill.

Police: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many  (a) police officers and  (b) police community support officers there are in (i) Stockport and (ii) Tameside; and how many she expects to be assigned there in (A) 2011 and (B) 2015.

Nick Herbert: Latest available data, as at 31 Match 2009, show that in Stockport Basic Command Unit (BCU) there were 489 police officers and 55 police community support officers, while in Tameside BCU there were 428 police officers and 44 police community support officers.
	The estimate of the number of police officers and police community support officers in 2011 and 2015 is not available centrally. These decisions are made by the Chief Constable of the police force.

Police: Jet Skis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many jet-skis are in use by police forces in England and Wales; how much was spent by each police force on purchasing jet-skis in each of the last two years; for what purpose jet-skis are used by police; who is authorised to operate them; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: This information is not held centrally as the purchase and operational use of equipment of this nature is a matter for each individual police force.

Police: Television

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department provides to the police on participation in television documentaries; and what her policy is on remuneration of police forces for their participation in such documentaries.

Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not issue guidance on such matters. The participation in television documentaries and policy on remuneration for participating in such documentaries is a matter for the chief constable in each police force.

Police: VAT

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the change in the amount of value added tax police forces in England and Wales will be required to pay in the financial year  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the change in the level of value added tax Essex Policy Authority will be required to pay in the financial year  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Nick Herbert: The liability for value added tax is a matter for each police authority.

Pre-charge Detention

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people suspected of offences related to terrorism were held in pre-charge detention for more than 14 days in  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008,  (e) 2009 and  (f) 2010 to date.

Nick Herbert: The data requested for  (a) 2005,  (b) 2006,  (c) 2007,  (d) 2008 and  (e) 2009 is available in the statistical bulletin series bulletin Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes Great Britain the links to which are as follows:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb0409.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs09/hosb1809.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb0410.pdf
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs10/hosb1010.pdf
	Data from 2010 is not yet available.

Pre-charge Detention

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people suspected of committing offences relating to terrorism have been held for 28 days in pre-charge detention and subsequently convicted of the offence for which they were detained.

Nick Herbert: Since July 2006, no individuals have been held for the full 28 days pre-charge detention period. However, two individuals who were arrested under section 41 TACT 2000 and subsequently charged and convicted of terrorism related offences were charged on the 27-28 day of detention following their arrest in a counter terrorist operation led by Greater Manchester Police.

Special Constables

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for future numbers of special constables; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: The Special Constabulary is an important and cost-effective resource in policing. The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is committed to supporting the Special Constabulary and increasing its numbers across England and Wales. As part of this the NPIA created nine regional coordinator posts to help police forces increase numbers and improve retention rates. In particular, they are working in partnership with police forces to develop effective marketing and recruitment strategies and to implement the National Strategy for the Special Constabulary. This aims to make the management of the recruitment process easier for police forces. Work is also ongoing to engage employers support to enable their staff to volunteer as special constables.

DEFENCE

Portsmouth: Frigates

Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the previous administration's decision to baseport frigates at Portsmouth; and if he will make a statement.

Peter Luff: On 6 May 2009, the previous Government announced that, subject to main investment decisions to be made early in this decade, the most complex variant of the Future Surface Combatant, the Type 26 Combat Ship, would be base-ported in Portsmouth.
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review will review all major equipment and support contracts as well as the defence estate, to ensure the future programme is affordable and coherent with future defence needs.

Employment: Scotland

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of jobs in the defence sector in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: In 2008-09 the Ministry of Defence directly employed approximately 17,900 people in Scotland, including service personnel and civil servants. We do not currently estimate the number of jobs dependent on broader Defence expenditure in any particular nation or region of the UK; the last available estimate for Scotland was for 2007-08 and was some 6,000 jobs.

Afghanistan

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his most recent assessment is of the security situation in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Harvey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Hendon (Mr Offord).

Homelessness

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on reducing the level of homelessness among former members of the armed forces.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence works closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government, devolved authorities, other Government Departments, ex-service organisations and other service providers to ensure a co-ordinated and structured approach to the issue of homelessness among former members of the armed forces. Our aim is to prevent new service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective safety net for those ex-service personnel who find themselves in that position.
	Measures have been introduced making it easier for former service personnel to access social housing, become home owners and occupy void MOD properties as an interim measure after leaving the services.
	I attended the first cross-Government Ministerial Working Group. This committee will agree priorities and review progress made in tackling and preventing homelessness.

Procurement

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to procure defence equipment from British-based companies.

Peter Luff: Our duty is to provide the armed forces with the equipment they require, when they need it, at a reasonable cost to the taxpayer. In the majority of cases, competition on the global market (in which British companies more than hold their own), is the best way to achieve their goal.
	However, following the Strategic Defence Security Review, a new defence industrial strategy will outline the sovereign capabilities that should be retained in the United Kingdom.

Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Snatch Vixen and  (b) Snatch Land Rover vehicles are in use in Afghanistan.

Peter Luff: Snatch 2a, Snatch Vixen and Snatch Vixen Plus are currently deployed in Afghanistan. Of these, Snatch 2a and Snatch Vixen are used only inside base locations. Snatch 2a is in the process of being withdrawn from Afghanistan.
	I am withholding the information on the number of vehicles deployed in Afghanistan as its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armed Forces Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of his Department's officials are working on preparations for the Armed Forces Bill.

Andrew Robathan: The Armed Forces Bill Team comprises four Service officers and two civilian officials who, together with legal advisers and policy staff elsewhere in the Department, are working on preparations for the forthcoming Bill.

Army: York

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information  (a) his Department's and  (b) the Army's website gave to the presentation of new colours to (i) the Yorksire Regiment on 18 June 2010 and (ii) the subsequent parade in York on 19 June 2010.

Andrew Robathan: The Ministry of Defence featured both events on the Army's website. The announcement that the Yorkshire Regiment was to be presented with new Regimental Colours can be viewed at the following link:
	http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/19521.aspx
	The Regiment's York parade can be viewed at:
	http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/20418.aspx
	This includes details of the day as well as ten images of the event.
	Reports and photographs from the events were also included in the Army's website 'Regimental News' section at the following link:
	http://www.army.mod.uk/infantry/regiments/10160.aspx
	There was no separate coverage on the MOD website www.mod.uk, which does, however, feature a prominent link to the Army website.

Defence

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what timetable he has set for completion of the Strategic Defence and Security Review; and if he will make a statement.

Liam Fox: The Government expect the Strategic Defence and Security
	Review to report in the autumn, alongside the new National Security Strategy. This will coincide with the outcome of the Government's Spending Review.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East of 17 June 2010,  Official Report, column 501W, on departmental mobile phones, what the  (a) purchase cost of the handset,  (b) network provider,  (c) type of tariff and  (d) name of the supplier was in respect of the mobile devices issued to (i) the Secretary of State and (ii) the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2010,  Official Report, column 501W, on departmental mobile telephones, what the  (a) purchase cost of the handset,  (b) network provider,  (c) type of tariff and  (d) name of the supplier is in respect of the (i) mobile telephone issued to the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology and (ii) the BlackBerry device issued to the Secretary of State.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 24 June 2010
	 The handsets for the Secretary of State for Defence and the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology were provided at no additional purchase cost as part of the Ministry of Defence's corporate contract with its network provider Vodafone, which is part of the Defence Fixed Telecommunications Service Agreement with British Telecom. The Secretary of State's BlackBerry is on the BlackBerry Enterprise tariff; the Minister for Defence Equipment, Support and Technology's Nokia mobile handset is on the network tariff. Both tariffs are monthly with call charges additional and variable depending on the nature and duration of each call.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Affordable Housing: Construction

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which 150 social housing developments are under review, broken down by local authority area;
	(2)  what housing developments funded through the National Affordable Housing Programme are to be cancelled, broken down by local authority area;
	(3)  what housing and local government projects are under review, broken down by local authority area.

Grant Shapps: The Government remain committed to the provision of new affordable housing and has secured an additional £560 million for affordable housing and other housing programmes in 2010-11. This includes £390 million additional funding announced today-which means a further 4,500 social rented homes, over 3,000 homes for sale at affordable prices and 1,000 homes stalled by the recession This is on top of the £170 million made available by the coalition Government on 24 May, which will protect delivery of 4,000 new social homes.
	The coalition Government nevertheless remain strongly committed to reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit-the Government's announcement on 24 May set out immediate savings of over £6 billion. The Chief Secretary has also announced today that Departments have agreed to reductions totalling £1.5 billion amongst a range of spending commitments planned by the previous administration but where the funding was reliant on underspending across Government through the End Year Flexibility system. The £1.5 billion savings includes £220 million of the £780 million housing funding planned by the previous administration. As the Chief Secretary says in his statement, without this remedial action Government borrowing would have been higher this year.
	It is likely a number of housing projects will be affected by the need to find these £220 million savings. To date, the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) has been holding back from making any new commitments in 2010-11 until the position on funding could be finalised. Now that the funding position has been confirmed, the HCA will fully review the impact of any changes on its investment programmes, and will then contact affected schemes to advise them. The HCA will also publish a list of the confirmed schemes. Throughout 2010-11, the agency will continue to publish on its website the quarterly regional investment statements, detailing all allocations to the National Affordable Housing Programme.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 29W, on affordable housing: construction, if he will take steps to protect the interests of those with exceptional housing needs in cases where neighbourhoods determine that these needs should not be met.

Andrew Stunell: I refer the hon. Member back to the answer that he was given on 2 June 2010,  Official Report, column 29W. A statement on the consolidated national planning framework will be made to Parliament in due course.

Council Housing: Construction

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many of the council houses authorised by the previous administration for construction in 2010-11  (a) have been started,  (b) have been completed and  (c) are being planned.

Andrew Stunell: Work started on 2,068 units under the Local Authority New Build programme in 2009-10; none was completed in 2009-10. Figures for 2010-11 are not yet available, but Grant Agreements are in place to deliver just over 1,000 more.

Council Housing: Finance

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to permit local authorities which retain their housing stock to retain  (a) rent revenues and  (b) Right to Buy proceeds from that stock for the purposes of funding regeneration or new build projects.

Andrew Stunell: The Government are committed to reviewing the unfair Housing Revenue Account subsidy system. As part of this review we will consider responses to the consultation on a devolved council housing finance system that closed on 6 July. The consultation included proposals for local authorities to retain rents and right to buy receipts.

Departmental Flags

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost was of decorating his Department's building with England flags during the Football World cup.

Grant Shapps: Approximately £30.
	The new Government believe Government Departments and councils should do their bit to help reclaim the English flag as a proud symbol of our nation's identity.
	We believe the expenditure of £30 on English flags represents significantly better value for money than the £134,503 spent last year buying luxury Parisian sofas for the Department.

Government Office for the North West: Finance

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the budget is of the Government Office for the North West for 2010-11.

Bob Neill: The 2010-11 running cost budget for the Government office for the north-west is £9,009,690.

Homelessness

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many households were provided with assistance in finding or retaining accommodation as an alternative to making a homelessness application in each  (a) region and  (b) local authority area in England in the last 12 months.

Grant Shapps: Homelessness prevention means providing people with the ways and means to address their housing and other needs and avoid homelessness. Homelessness relief is where an authority has been unable to prevent homelessness but helps someone to secure accommodation, even though the authority is under no statutory obligation to do so.
	The number of cases of homelessness prevention and relief taking place outside the statutory framework in England in 2008/09 is published on the Communities and Local Government website in the statistical release Homelessness Prevention and Relief: England 2008/09 Experimental Statistics. A link to this release is as follows:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/corporate/statistics/homelessnessprevention200809
	A table giving local authority figures on cases of homelessness prevention and relief has been placed in the Library of the House.

Housing: Asbestos

Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the number of homes in the West Midlands which contain asbestos.

Andrew Stunell: No estimate of the number of homes in the West Midlands that contain asbestos has been made by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	However, in July 2009 in relation to maintaining public sector stock in a decent condition beyond 2010, as part of the review of the major repairs allowance the Department published the estimate of the number of local authority homes in England containing untreated asbestos at 69,761. This report is available for download from:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/repairsallowancereview

Housing: Construction

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has made a decision on Kickstart funding for new homes on the Clapham Park Estate shortlisted for funding under round two of the scheme.

Andrew Stunell: The announcement on 24 May set out the immediate savings of over £6 billion that needed to be made as down-payment on the public deficit. A full review of outstanding Kickstart projects will be undertaken by the HCA, once the final funding position for 2010-11 is clear.

Housing: Construction

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his plans are for the Kickstart housing delivery programme.

Andrew Stunell: Decisions on future levels of funding for affordable housing will be made in the spending review.

Housing: Construction

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether district councils which meet the criteria for Government incentives to build houses may retain the  (a) full and  (b) district council element of council tax on those houses.

Grant Shapps: We are committed to increasing housing supply and seeing more of the homes that people want, in the places that people want them, to meet Britain's housing need. The coalition agreement set out our clear intention to provide incentives for local authorities to deliver sustainable development, including new homes and business. I will set out further details of the timetable for introducing incentives in due course.

Local Government Finance

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to initiate a review of the local government finance formula.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Esher and Walton (Mr Raab) on 10 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 448-50.

Local Government Finance: Wigan

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what projects in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan that were previously earmarked for capital grant will now be subject to the removal of ring-fencing in 2010-11.

Bob Neill: The coalition Government are committed to providing a shift of power from Westminster to individuals and their communities. As part of the devolution of power and greater financial autonomy to local authorities to meet that aim, we announced on 10 June a number of capital grants to local authorities which now have their ring fence removed.
	The capital grants which have been de-ringfenced are shown in the following table.
	Wigan council is free to decide how to use the money received from un-ringfenced grants to fund local priorities. Funding for specific local projects is for Wigan council to determine.
	
		
			  Capital grant  Government Department 
			 Fair Play Pathfinders DFE 
			 Fair Play Playbuilders DFE 
			 Innovation in Extracare Housing Grant DH 
			 Capital Investment for Transformation in Adult Social Care Grant DH 
			 AIDS/HIV DH 
			 Common Assessment Framework DH 
			 Social Care IT Infrastructure DH 
			 Detrunking DFT 
			 Major Projects DFT 
			 NEXUS (Tyne and Wear Metro) DFT 
			 Green Bus Fund DFT 
			 Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management DEFRA 
			 Coastal Change Pathfinders DEFRA 
			 Contaminated Land DEFRA 
			 Housing Market Renewal CLG

Local Government Finance: Wigan

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  for what capital projects in the metropolitan borough of Wigan funding has been agreed by his Department but not yet allocated;
	(2)  what projects his Department plans to fund in the metropolitan borough of Wigan; and which are currently under review.

Grant Shapps: The coalition Government is committed to reducing the United Kingdom's budget deficit. It has led us to identify savings across Government, starting with the £6 billion of immediate savings announced on 24 May. The Government are also re-assessing spending approvals granted between 1 January 2010 and the general election to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. Further announcements will be made by the end of July.

Local Government: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his plans are for the future of the  (a) Manchester City-Region pilot scheme and  (b) proposals for a Combined Authority for Greater Manchester.

Bob Neill: We welcome Manchester's strong ambitions for delivering economic success and expect it to continue to be a key driver of national growth. We will want to work closely with Manchester to ensure that it has the freedoms and tools to deliver on its economic ambitions. We have recently written to local authorities and business inviting them to come together to form local enterprise partnerships. We will consider Manchester's proposal for a combined authority once consultation has ended and in the light of their proposals on local enterprise partnerships.

Local Government: Information Officers

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the total cost was of communications staff in local government in  (a) financial year 1996-97 and  (b) the most recent financial year for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Local Government: Manpower

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions he has had with representatives of local authorities on the effects on levels of employment in local government of likely reductions in central Government funding to local authorities.

Bob Neill: The Secretary of State has regular discussions with representatives of local government. These discussions cover a range of matters pertaining to councils and their work forces.

Mayors: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether he plans to introduce elected mayors at the district level across Greater Manchester;
	(2)  whether he plans to introduce a city regional mayoral system in greater Manchester.

Bob Neill: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Nottingham East (Chris Leslie) on 9 June,  Official Report, column 174W.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many landlords have been prosecuted under legislative provisions governing the operation of houses in multiple occupation in each of the last five years.

Andrew Stunell: This information is not held centrally.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation governing houses in multiple occupation in  (a) protecting the rights of tenants in such houses and  (b) raising housing standards.

Andrew Stunell: Communities and Local Government published the BRE report on local authority implementation of the HMO licensing provisions on 27 January 2010. The review looked at the practical implications and the impact of HMO legislation. A copy of the report is available via the CLG website.
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/hmoimpactevaluation

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment his Department has made of the views of tenants in houses in multiple occupation on the implementation of legislation governing such properties.

Andrew Stunell: The Department has not carried out an assessment of the views of tenants in houses in multiple occupation. Local authorities are however required to consult all interested parties, including tenants, on proposals to introduce additional HMO licensing schemes in their area. The local authority must also consider and respond to the views of all affected persons.

Multiple Occupation: Licensing

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the law relating to houses in multiple occupation.

Andrew Stunell: We have recently announced our intention to amend the planning legislation for houses in multiple occupation (HMO). Details of our proposals can be found in the written ministerial statement issued on 17 June 2010,  Official Report, column 54WS.
	We however have no plans to amend the HMO licensing provisions in the Housing Act 2004. Local authorities were granted a general consent on 1 April 2010, to introduce discretionary licensing schemes in their areas without having to first seek approval from the Department. We believe that it is right for these local decisions to be made by those who are directly accountable to local communities.

Planning Permission: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consideration he gave to the provisions of Blackpool's local plan in his decision not to call in for determination the development application to Blackpool borough council (No. 09/0740).

Bob Neill: The considerations given to this development application were based upon the adopted Local Plan for Blackpool, having regard to the need to employ a sequential site approach to housing provision, i.e. brownfield land first, the housing requirement for Blackpool, along with the other existing and emerging plans and strategies, among them the Local Development Framework Draft Core Strategy Preferred Option Document. Consideration was also given to the question of prematurity in relation to Planning Policy Statements PPS1 and PPS3.

Planning Permission: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what aspects of the development application to Blackpool borough council (No. 09/0740) were relevant to his assessment of policies Planning Policy Statement 1, Planning Policy Statement 3, Planning Policy Statement 9, Planning Policy Guidance 13 and Planning Policy Guidance 17 as the main matters relevant to his decision whether or not to call in the application for determination.

Bob Neill: These matters were initially considered in detail and assessed by Blackpool council, as local planning authority. The case was referred to the Secretary of State for consideration on whether or not he should call the application in for his own determination. In this context the relevant issues which this proposal raised, along with the representations made, were considered and assessed in relation to the national planning policies to which you refer. I have previously outlined the issues considered in relation to Planning Policy Statement 1, Planning Policy Statement 9, Planning Policy Guidance 13 and Planning Policy Guidance 17. On Planning Policy Statement 3, growth point status; development proposed around the "M55 Hub"; the council's assessment of its five-year supply of housing land; the availability and considerations of suitable, alternative brownfield sites; the density of dwellings on site; and affordable housing provision were all considered.

Planning Permission: Blackpool

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the abolition of regional spatial strategies on the outcomes of the development application to Blackpool borough council (No. 09/0740); and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: None. Once the Secretary of State gave his decision not to call in this application he has no further jurisdiction on this matter. Blackpool council was initially responsible for assessing and achieving the housing provision set out in the regional spatial strategy (RSS). Following the recent announcement regarding the abolition of RSS, it remains a matter for the council to assess how to meet its housing needs based upon a robust assessment of need within its area. Abolition of the housing figures in RSS will give the council responsibility for determining numbers, based on the evidence available to them.

Trade Unions

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many paid officials in his Department are full-time trade union officials; and what the  (a) salary and  (b) expenses entitlement of each is.

Bob Neill: There are five paid officials in the Department who are engaged full-time on trade union activity and four further part-time officials for whom costs are met centrally. Two full-time and two part-time officials are employed within the main Department, two full-time in the Government Office Network and one full-time and one part-time in the Planning Inspectorate.
	The aggregate cost of this provision was £245,644 (excluding Planning Inspectorate) in the financial year 2008-09 and £237,325 (including the Planning Inspectorate) in the financial year 2009-10.
	In addition, as members of this Department, these officials are entitled to claim business related expenditure under the same rules governing expenses as all other employees.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that the views of residents in areas affected by proposed wind farms are taken into account in determining planning applications for such wind farms.

Greg Clark: The views of local residents on the planning issues affecting their community should be taken into account when planning applications are determined. We are radically reforming the planning system to give neighbourhoods far more ability to determine the shape of the places in which their inhabitants live.

Wind Power: Planning Permission

Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with his departmental officials on proposals to introduce a minimum separation distance between large wind turbines and occupied dwellings; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to bring forward measures to introduce a minimum separation distance between large wind turbines and occupied dwellings; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: My Department has received representations on this issue. Policy on separation distances is set out in the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Eric Ollerenshaw) on 30 June 2010,  Official Report, column 587W, and in the answer my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change gave in the House to the hon. Member for Bolsover (Mr Skinner) on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, column 995.

TREASURY

Benefits: Greater Manchester

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the measures in the 2010 Budget on those resident in Denton and Reddish who are in receipt of tax credits;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the measures in the 2010 Budget on those resident in Denton and Reddish who are in receipt of child benefit.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available.
	The effect of the Budget is modelled based on data from the Family Resources Survey, which does not contain a large enough sample to produce results at a constituency level.

Business Services Association

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials within his Department have met the Business Services Association since he took office.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials regularly hold meetings with businesses and business representative bodies as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Governments, the Government do not disclose the outcome or results of all such meetings and discussions.

Capital Gains Tax

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the additional revenue that would be generated in one year if capital gains tax were set at  (a) 30 per cent.,  (b) 35 per cent.,  (c) 40 per cent.,  (d) 45 per cent.,  (e) 50 per cent. and  (f) 28 per cent.

David Gauke: The policy costings document published alongside the 2010 Emergency Budget Book sets out the methodology for arriving at such estimates and the likely effects on revenue. This document is available at:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf

Capital Gains Tax

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the total revenue generated by capital gains tax was paid by those who pay income tax at the  (a) basic and  (b) higher rate in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Indicative proportions of capital gains tax accrued by basic and higher rate income tax payers are shown in National Statistics Table 14.3 on the HMRC website at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/capital_gains/table14-3.pdf

Capital Gains Tax

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in line with what measure of the rate of inflation the annual exempt amount for capital gains tax will rise.

David Gauke: The Annual Exempt Amount for Capital Gains Tax continues to increase each year in line with the Retail Price Index (RPI) measure of inflation. As announced at the Budget, the Government are reviewing how the Consumer Price Index can be used for the indexation of taxes and duties while protecting revenues.

Child Benefit

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average real terms change per child in 2010 prices of freezing child benefit payments in  (a) 2011-12,  (b) 2012-13 and  (c) 2013-14.

Justine Greening: The following table shows the estimated average change per week per child as a result of freezing the rates of child benefit for the next three years rather than uprating by the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
	These estimates are based on the Office for Budget Responsibility's latest projections of CPI.
	
		
			   2011-12  2012-13  2013-14  2014-15 
			 Forecast change 1st child (£) -0.60 -1.15 -1.55 -1.60 
			 Forecast change subsequent child (£) -0.40 -0.75 -1.00 -1.05 
		
	
	To ensure support is better targeted at low-income families with children, the savings from the freeze in child benefit have been recycled into significant increases to the child tax credit. The child element of the child tax credit will be increased by £150 above indexation in 2011-12 and £60 above indexation in 2012-13. As a result of this, the Budget will have no measurable negative impact on child poverty over the next two years.

Child Tax Credit

Liz Kendall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households with annual incomes of over  (a) £20,000,  (b) £25,000 and  (c) over £35,000 are in receipt of child tax credits in (i) England, (ii) Leicester and (iii) Leicester West constituency.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households benefiting from tax credits by income 
			   Number of families by income 
			   England  Leicester  Leicester Wes t 
			 £20,000-£25,000 422,345 2,635 700 
			 £25,000-£35,000 956,300 4,430 1,325 
			 Over £35,000 1,054,815 2,870 1,330 
		
	
	These estimates are based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about these data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Departmental Manpower

Stewart Hosie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many  (a) special advisers and  (b) press officers are employed by his Department at each Civil Service pay grade.

Justine Greening: For information on special advisers, I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given by the Prime Minister on 10 June,  Official Report, columns 32-34WS.
	The following numbers are for press officers and are based on FTE figures.
	
		
			  Press officers employed in HM Treasury as at 3 June 2010 
			  HM Treasury pay range  Civil service payband  Press officers (FTE) 
			 Range D HEO/SEO 6 
			 Range E Grade 7/Grade 6 2 
			 Range F Grade 5 1

Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers

Denis MacShane: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the names are of the special advisers in his Department appointed since 10 June 2010.

Justine Greening: Since 10 June 2010 Julia Goldsworthy has been appointed as a special adviser to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Housing Benefit

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Financial Statement of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 166-80, what the evidential basis is for his statement that there are some families receiving £104,000 a year in housing benefit.

Steve Webb: I have been asked to reply.
	The latest information the Department holds is for March 2010, when the maximum local housing allowance rate was £1,800, and shows that there were customers who received this rate. All these customers were located in the central London broad rental market area.
	In June 2010 the maximum local housing allowance rate rose to £2,000 a week which would be equivalent to receiving £104,000 a year in housing benefit assuming the individual remains in receipt of the same level of benefit for 52 continuous weeks. Information on housing benefit awards in June will be available in September 2010.

Personal Savings: Children

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  whether he plans to bring forward proposals to  (a) encourage and  (b) provide incentives for children and young people to save;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to provide incentives for those on low incomes to save.

Mark Hoban: The Government are committed to creating the conditions to support saving. For individuals and families it wishes to encourage financial responsibility, and saving for retirement, through well targeted and affordable support. The Government are considering the options for achieving this, and will announce their plans in due course.
	Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) are the Government's main savings incentive for adults, and over 20 million adults now hold ISAs, including one in five people among low income groups.

Pregnant Women: Grants

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Health in Pregnancy grants were made to people in  (a) Bishop Auckland and  (b) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency in 2009-10.

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many health in pregnancy grants were made in West Lancashire constituency in 2009-10.

David Gauke: The information requested is available only at disproportionate cost.

Private Sector: Manpower

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of private sector jobs, directly and indirectly, on the reductions in departmental spending announced in the budget.

Danny Alexander: The OBR released further information on its employment forecast on 30 June 2010. The OBR forecasts show that total employment is expected to rise by 1.3 million by 2015-16.
	The OBR forecast release can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

Public Finance

Caroline Flint: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which ongoing capital projects allocated funding by his Department are under review in each constituency; and what the monetary value is of each such project.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply.
	The review of Government's Major Projects is currently under way and is due to be completed by 31 July 2010. Once the review is complete and the findings have been analysed I will be in a better position to provide information on this matter.
	The projects under consideration include some with major capital spends but these projects tend to be large, complex undertakings that span geographically many parts of the country, and are not linked to any one constituency. For that reason it will not be possible to supply a list of projects with values impacting on individual constituencies.

Public Finance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the distributional effects of the proposed reductions in public expenditure by income decile of the population in  (a) the UK,  (b) Scotland,  (c) Northern Ireland,  (d) Wales,  (e) England and  (f) each English region in each year from 2010-11 to 2015-16.

David Gauke: The Government set out in its document Spending Review Framework that it will "look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7) Further information will be available at the Spending Review.

Public Finance

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the Chief Secretary's Statement of 17 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 1040-42, which spending commitments for 2010-11 where funding was reliant on underspending are now under review.

Danny Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement I have issued today.

Public Sector: Manpower

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of public sector jobs of the reductions in departmental spending announced in the budget.

Danny Alexander: The OBR released further information on its employment forecast on 30 June 2010.
	The OBR forecast release can be found on the following webpage:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/publications.html

Research and Development Tax Credit

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 16 June 2010,  Official Report, column 482W, on research and development tax credit: environmental protection, if he will bring forward proposals to amend the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities to identify clean technology as a separate sector.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	 Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated June 2010:
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning research and development tax credit: environmental protection, if it will be possible to bring forward proposals to amend the UK Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activities to identify clean technology as a separate sector. (4619)
	The United Kingdom Standard Industrial Classification of Economic Activity (UK SIC) is the national version of the European system 'Classification of Economic Activities' in the European Community' (NACE), part of the integrated system of statistical classifications. By an international agreement, the highest levels of NACE (the sections and divisions) are identical to those of the United Nations system 'International Standard Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities' (ISIC).
	The UK is required by European legislation to revise the UK SIC in parallel with NACE, ensuring that both systems remain identical down to and including the 4 digit class level. A further breakdown of the class level can be provided in certain instances by the addition of a 5 digit (country specific) subclass level. The UK SIC (2007) is currently bound by European legislation (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) to be identical with NACE Rev 2, down to and including the 4 digit class level. Changes to UKSIC (2007) above the 5(th) digit subclass level are therefore not permissible.
	Revisions to statistical classification systems arc motivated by the need to adapt the classifications to changes in the world economy and must meet the methodological criteria associated with the classification. It is not possible to amend NACE in order to identify 'clean technology' as a separate section as the system classifies economic activities in terms of input-process-output. By applying the criteria described in the NACE methodological guide, the "clean technology" process cannot be distinguished from that of other technology.
	The European Community regulation governing NACE is directly applicable to all member states.
	The timing of the NACE revision process sits with a committee consisting of delegates form all member states; as yet, no announcement has been made to a possible revision date with regard to NACE Rev2. As a result of the obligations of the NACE Rev2 legislation, is not possible to bring forward a date for the revision of UKSIC (2007).

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will bring forward proposals to close the loopholes used by stamp duty land tax mitigation schemes.

Justine Greening: The June 2010 Budget announced that the Government will examine whether changes to the rules on stamp duty land tax on high value property transactions are needed to prevent avoidance in this area.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Greg Knight: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the revenue foregone by the Exchequer consequent on stamp duty land tax mitigation schemes in the latest period for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: A robust estimate of revenue lost because of stamp duty land tax mitigation schemes will depend upon information now starting to become available through the recent extension of the regime requiring disclosure of such schemes to HMRC.

Taxation: Banks

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has  (a) conducted and  (b) commissioned research on the likely effect on the public purse of (i) the banking levy and (ii) the change to the level of corporation tax announced in the 2010 Budget in the next five years.

Mark Hoban: The estimated impact on the Exchequer of the bank levy and changes to corporation tax, and the analysis underpinning these estimates, are set out in the Budget 2010 policy costings document:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf

Taxation: Banks

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect on retail banks based in the UK of changes to their taxation arrangements announced in the 2010 Budget in the next five years.

Mark Hoban: The estimated impacts of the tax changes announced in Budget 2010 are set out in the following Budget 2010 document:
	http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/junebudget_costings.pdf
	Several measures will affect UK retail banks. Most directly, they will be affected by the bank levy and the reduction in corporation tax rates. Separate figures for UK retail banks have not been produced, although assessments of the impact of the reduction in the main corporation tax rate for the financial sector as a whole are available. I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given to the right hon. Member for Holborn and St Pancras (Frank Dobson) on 1 July,  Official Report, columns 610-11W.

VAT

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net effect  (a) in cash terms on and  (b) as a proportion of the average annual income of (i) the bottom income decile, (ii) the second bottom income decile, (iii) the top income decile, (iv) the second top income decile, (v) pensioner couples, (vi) single pensioners, (vii) couples with children and (viii) single parents with children of an increase of one percentage point in the standard rate of value added tax.

David Gauke: holding answer 21 June 2010
	In the Emergency Budget the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a 2.5 percentage point increase in the standard rate of value added tax (VAT). Analysis of the impact of indirect taxes, of which VAT is the most significant change, is provided in Annex A of the Red Book on both an income decile and expenditure decile basis. The Office for National Statistics and others have suggested expenditure deciles may better represent a household's expected lifetime income, and therefore better represent the impact of changes in VAT on households. The analysis provided in the Red Book is scalable to give the impact of a one percentage point increase in the main rate of VAT.
	For the requested household types, the estimated impact of a one percentage point rise in the standard rate of VAT is:
	
		
			  Household type  Cash terms  (£ per annum)  Percentage of net income 
			 Pensioner couple 110 0.4 
			 Pensioner single 50 0.3 
			 Couple with children 180 0.4 
			 One-parent families 90 0.4

VAT

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in the number of jobs in the country which will result from his proposal to increase value added tax to 20 per cent.

Danny Alexander: The OBR forecast that unemployment will come down from 8.1% this year, falling in every year to 6.1% in 2015. In producing its forecasts, the OBR have considered the employment impacts of the announced consolidation as a whole.

VAT: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department consulted small and medium-sized enterprises in  (a) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency and  (b) other parts of Birmingham on his proposal to raise value added tax to 20%.

David Gauke: No. Businesses across the UK will benefit from a reduction in the current high levels of public debt which could lead to a loss of market confidence and higher market interest rates, raising the cost of borrowing for families and businesses and discouraging investment and consumer spending. VAT makes an essential contribution to that reduction. Small and medium-sized businesses will also benefit from other announcements in the Budget, including the reduction in the corporation tax rate for smaller companies to 20%.

VAT: Birmingham

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many small and medium-sized enterprises in  (a) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency and  (b) other parts of Birmingham will be affected by the proposed increase in the rate of value added tax.

David Gauke: All businesses in Selly Oak and Birmingham will benefit from a reduction in the current high levels of public debt which could lead to a loss of market confidence and higher market interest rates, raising the cost of borrowing for families and businesses and discouraging investment and consumer spending. VAT makes an essential contribution to that reduction. Small and medium-sized businesses will also benefit from other announcements in the Budget, including the reduction in the corporation tax rate for smaller companies to 20%.

VAT: Charities

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much value added tax was paid by charities located in  (a) Wrexham,  (b) Wales and  (c) the UK in each of the last three years.

David Gauke: This information is not available.
	HM Revenue and Customs cannot accurately pinpoint those VAT registrations belonging to charities and not all charities are registered for VAT. The VAT return does not record input tax incurred by VAT registered charities which they are unable to recover under the normal rules of VAT.

Welfare Tax Credits: Bishop Auckland

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits in  (a) Bishop Auckland and  (b) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency have an income of over £30,000.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Families receiving tax credits with an income over £30,000 
			   Number 
			 Bishop Auckland 2,300 
			 Blackpool North and Fleetwood 2,100 
		
	
	The constituency referred to in the question-Blackpool North and Cleveleys-was formed after April 2010 so the previous boundary of Blackpool North and Fleetwood has been used instead. The information for the new constituency would be available at only disproportionate cost.
	These estimates are based on provisional information on families receiving Tax Credits as at April 2010. Further details about this data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010". This is available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many households in receipt of tax credits have an income of over £30,000 in West Lancashire constituency.

David Gauke: The number of households receiving tax credits with an income over £30,000 in West Lancashire constituency is 2,600.
	These estimates are based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about these data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication 'Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010', available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

Welfare Tax Credits: Stirling

Anne McGuire: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Stirling in the income band  (a) £10,000 to £20,000,  (b) £21,000 to £30,000,  (c) £31,000 to £40,000,  (d) £41,000 to £50,000,  (e) £51,000 to £60,000 and  (f) £60,000 or more are in receipt of tax credits.

David Gauke: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Table 1: Stirling constituency families in receipt of tax credits by income band 
			  Household income  Number 
			 £10,000-£20,000 1,380 
			 £20,000-£30,000 900 
			 £30,000-£40,000 1,060 
			 £40,000-£50,000 740 
			 £50,000+ 290 
		
	
	The income bands over £50,000 have been combined because the numbers in the individual categories would be disclosive.
	These estimates are based on provisional information on families receiving tax credits as at April 2010. Further details about these data can be found in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits. Geographical Analysis, April 2010", available at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-geog-stats.htm

WORK AND PENSIONS

BP: Gulf of Mexico

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on UK pension funds; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what his estimate is of the financial loss to UK pension funds resulting from BP's decision to suspend its quarterly dividend; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Pension funds are well diversified and invest for the long term in a range of assets. However, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will have had a detrimental impact on pension funds due to the fall in the BP share price, the decision by BP to suspend dividend payments and the falls in share prices of other companies operating in the oil and gas sector.
	It is not possible with any degree of certainty to isolate the impact of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on financial markets, and therefore on UK pension funds, due to changes in wider economic conditions.
	Traditionally, BP is a major source of dividends for investors. Self-administered pension funds received around £60 billion of income in 2009, of which only 15% came from dividend payments. We estimate around 2% of total annual income was attributable to BP dividend payments. Consequently, the decision not to pay further dividends in 2010 should not have a significant impact on pension funds in the long term.

BP: Gulf of Mexico

Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations his Department has received on the effects of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill on UK pension funds; whether he plans to review the regulations governing disclosure of information by pension funds in light of any such representations; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: There has been a number of representations calling for a review of the disclosure of information requirements in the light of the impact of the Deepwater oil spill on UK pension funds. By way of reply, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Wigan (Lisa Nandy) on 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 182W.

Children: Maintenance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was obtained by  (a) the Child Support Agency and  (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from absent parents who were (i) previously paying nothing and (ii) already making payments for their children in the last 12 months.

Maria Miller: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested and I have seen the response.
	 Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Child Maintenance Commissioner as the Child Support Agency is now the responsibility of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was obtained by (a) the Child Support Agency and (b) the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from absent parents who were (i) previously paying nothing and (ii) already making payments for their children.
	We contacted your office to clarify your question and following speaking to you we have interpreted your question as: how much was obtained from non-resident parents who (i) paid for the first time within the last 12 months for which data is available, and (ii) paid for the second and subsequent time within the same period.
	In the 12 months to March 2010, we collected or arranged £1,141m in child maintenance payments and 769,200 cases paid maintenance at least once during that 12 months.
	Of these cases, 113,400 paid maintenance for the first time, 107,800 cases on the CS2 computer system, of which 91,000 cases had outstanding arrears, including 19,900 cases with outstanding arrears of more than 12 months at the time the first payment was secured. Unfortunately, we are not able to link the amount collected to the number of cases that paid maintenance for the first time.
	The remaining 655,800 cases which paid in the year had previously made at least one payment for their children, but within this caseload there were 159,100 instances where payments were secured after a break in payment of three months or more. In total 272,500 payments were secured from those who had previously never made payments or had stopped making payments.

Departmental NDPBs

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the address is of the head office of each non-departmental public body for which his Department is responsible.

Chris Grayling: The contact addresses for the non-departmental public bodies are as follows:
	
		
			  Non-departmental public body  Address 
			 Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission PO Box 239, Holbeck, LS1 1EB 
			 Health and Safety Executive Redgrave Court, Merton Road, Bootle, Merseyside, L20 7HS 
			 Independent Living Fund PO Box 7525, Nottingham, NG2 4ZT 
			 Personal Accounts Delivery Authority St Dunstan's House, 201-211 Borough High Street, London SE1 1JA 
			 Pensions Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund Ombudsman 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB 
			 Pension Protection Fund Knollys House, 17 Addiscombe Road, Croydon, Surrey, CRO 6SR 
			 Remploy Limited 18c Meridian East, Meridian Business Park, Leicester, LE19 1WZ 
			 The Pensions Advisory Service 11 Belgrave Road, London, SW1V 1RB 
			 The Pensions Regulator Napier House, Trafalgar Place, Brighton, BN1 4DW 
		
	
	The following advisory bodies can be contacted via their secretariats:
	
		
			  Advisory body  
			 Disability Employment Advisory Committee DEAC Secretariat, Level 3, Steel City House, West Street, Sheffield, S1 2GQ 
			 Disability Living Allowance Advisory Board Zone C Floor 1 Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London SW1H 9NA 
			 Equality 2025 Office for Disability Issues, Ground Floor, Caxton House, 6-12 Tothill Street, London, SW1H9NA 
			 Industrial Injuries Advisory Council 2nd Floor, Caxton House, Tothill Street, London, SW1H9NA 
			 Social Security Advisory Committee Level 3 North East Spur, Adelphi, John Adam Street, London, WC2N 6HT

Employment and Support Allowance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2010,  Official Report, column 72W, on employment and support allowance (ESA), how many of the 425,770 ESA claimants live  (a) in the UK,  (b) in Thirsk and Malton constituency and  (c) abroad.

Chris Grayling: The information is set out as follows.
	
		
			  Employment support allowance (ESA) claimants: November 2009 
			   Total 
			 Great Britain 425,770 
			 Thirsk and Malton parliamentary constituency 360 
			  Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10; some additional disclosure control has also been applied. 2. Employment and support allowance (ESA). ESA replaced incapacity benefit and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008. 3. Constituencies used are for the Westminster Parliament of May 2010. 4. It is not possible to specify exactly the number of abroad cases. However, the total of both invalid and non-British addresses amounts to 200 cases.  Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100% data.

Floors: Safety

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his most recent estimate is of  (a) the number of workplace accidents caused by slipping,  (b) the number of days off work,  (c) the cost in lost production and  (d) the cost to his Department of sickness and other benefits arising from injuries sustained by slipping in the workplace in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Chris Grayling: The most recent estimates for 2008-09, in the Health and Safety Executive's Field Operations Directorate (FOD) or local authority enforced areas, are as follows:
	 (a) The number of workplace accidents caused by slipping. There were a total of 33,888 workplace accidents as a result of a slip or trip at work.
	 (b) The number of days off work. 23,450 workplace accidents resulted in workers taking three days or more off work.
	 (c) The cost in lost production. The estimated total cost of lost output caused by workplace slips and trips was £233 million. This cost can be disaggregated as follows:
	
		
			  Numbers of reported injuries/fatalities 
			   Employees  Self employed  Total injuries fatalities  Lost output per injury fatality (£)  Total cost of lost output (£) 
			 Fatal injuries 4 1 5 520,700 2,603,500 
			 Non-Fatal Major Injuries 10,178 255 10,433 16,200 169,014,600 
			 Over three day injuries 23,234 216 23,450 2,600 60,970,000 
			 Total - - - - 232,588,100 
		
	
	 (d) The cost to the Department for Work and Pensions in terms of sickness and other benefit arising from injuries sustained by slipping in the workplace.
	This information is not available. Expenditure on sickness and other related benefits is only available broken down by nature of injury or condition, not by cause.

Housing Benefit

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effect of the measures in the 2010 Budget on those resident in the  (a) Metropolitan Borough of Tameside and  (b) Metropolitan Borough of Stockport who are in receipt of housing benefit;
	(2)  how many housing benefit claimant households are in properties valued at above the  (a) 30th percentile and  (b) medium local rent in each local market rental area;
	(3)  how many  (a) households and  (b) people it is estimated will be affected by the change in setting levels of local housing allowance to the 30th percentile of local rents.

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether he has made an estimate of  (a) the number of private sector tenants in (i) Bishop Auckland and (ii) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency whose local housing allowance will be reduced in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15 and  (b) the average loss of allowance per week consequent on that reduction in respect of tenants in each of those constituencies in each of those years;
	(2)  if he will estimate the number of social housing tenants in  (a) Bishop Auckland and  (b) Blackpool North and Cleveleys constituency whose entitlement to housing benefit will decline year on year in (i) 2011-12, (ii) 2012-13, (iii) 2013-14 and (iv) 2014-15; what the average reduction is likely to be for each such group in each year; and what assessment he has made of the likely effects of such changes in entitlement on (A) local authority housing revenue and (B) the level of new build in the social housing sector;
	(3)  what his estimate is of the number of new claimants for housing benefit that will be awarded over  (a) £1,100,  (b) £1,000,  (c) £900,  (d) £800 and  (e) £700 per week from November 2010 as a result of implementation of the measures announced in the March 2010 Budget.

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many private rented sector householders whose rent exceeds the 30th percentile and are in receipt of housing benefit rent allowance are  (a) above the state retirement age and  (b) of working age with dependants in each local authority area in England;
	(2)  how many households would experience a reduction in entitlement to housing benefit of  (a) £10,  (b) more than £20,  (c) more than £30,  (d) more than £50 and  (e) more than £70 a week in each local authority area in England if local housing allowance were set at the 30th percentile of private sector rents;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the number of households in receipt of housing benefit whose rent is above the 30th percentile of private sector rents in each local authority area in England.

Steve Webb: We will publish detail of how the Housing Benefit changes will affect the calculation of Local Housing Allowance rates on 23 July 2010. Impact assessments on the other Housing Benefit changes announced in the Budget will follow in due course.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many householders in the private rented sector  (a) of working age,  (b) above working age,  (c) in each bedroom size property and  (d) in total are in receipt of housing benefit in each housing authority area.

Steve Webb: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 282W, on incapacity benefit, in what area he intends to trial the reassessment of incapacity benefit recipients in October 2010.

Chris Grayling: In accordance with the written statement laid by the Minister of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Chris Grayling) on 29 June 2010, the trial for the reassessment of incapacity benefit recipients will take place in Aberdeen and Burnley.

National Employment Savings Trust

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what his policy is on the National Employment Savings Trust;
	(2)  what his policy is on the National Employment Savings Trust.

Steve Webb: The Government are committed to introducing automatic enrolment as an effective means of increasing pension saving.
	The Making Automatic Enrolment Work review, announced on 24 June will consider whether the approach inherited from the previous Administration strikes the right balance between cost, benefits and risks for individuals, employers, and the tax-payer. The review will also consider whether NEST is the right intervention to support pension savings among low to moderate earners.
	The terms of reference for the review can be found on the DWP website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/making-automatic-enrolment-work-tor.pdf

National Employment Savings Trust

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to review  (a) the role of,  (b) the structure of and  (c) auto-enrolment into the National Employment Savings Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The Government are committed to introducing automatic enrolment as an effective means of increasing pension saving.
	The Making Automatic Enrolment Work review, announced on 24 June will consider whether the approach inherited from the previous Administration strikes the right balance between cost, benefits and risks for individuals, employers and the taxpayer. The review will also consider whether NEST is the right intervention to support pension savings among low to moderate earners.
	The terms of reference for the review can be found on the DWP website:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/making-automatic-enrolment-work-tor.pdf

Oil: Safety

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) safety incidents,  (b) injuries and  (c) dangerous occurrences at each of the 10 Transocean rigs operating in UK waters have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Grayling: The information is not available in the format requested. The available data is in the following tables.
	Tables 1, 2 and 3 give accident and incident statistics reported over the past three years under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995 (RIDDOR) for the 10 Transocean drilling rigs currently working in UK waters.
	
		
			  RIDDOR reportable incidents-2007-08 
			  Rig  Major  Over three-day injury  Ill-health  D/O( 1)  HCR( 2)  Wells incidents  Total 
			 GSF Galaxy II - - - - - 1 1 
			 GSF Galaxy III - 1 - 1 - - 2 
			 GSF Labrador - - - 2 1 - 3 
			 J. W. McLean - 3 - 1 - - 4 
			 Paul B Loyd Jr - 3 1 1 - 2 7 
			 Sedco 704 1 1 - 4 - - 6 
			 Sedco 711 - - - 1 - - 1 
			 Sedco 714 - 3 - - - 1 4 
			 Transocean John Shaw - 3 - 4 - 2 9 
			 Transocean Prospect 1 1 - 3 - 3 8 
			 (1) Dangerous occurrence-near miss accident no one injured.(  2) Hydrocarbon release. 
		
	
	
		
			  RIDDOR reportable incidents-2008-09 
			  Rig  Major  Over three-day injury  Ill-health  D/O( 1)  HCR( 2)  Wells incidents  Total 
			 GSF Galaxy II - - - - - 4 4 
			 GSF Galaxy III - 2 - 1 - 1 4 
			 GSF Labrador - - - - - 2 2 
			 J. W. McLean - 2 - - - - 2 
			 Paul B Loyd Jr - 3 - 1 - 1 5 
			 Sedco 704 - 1 - 2 - 1 4 
			 Sedco 711 - - - - - - 0 
			 Sedco 714 - - - 1 - -- 1 
			 Transocean John Shaw 1 2 - 2 - - 5 
			 Transocean Prospect - 1 - 1 - - 2 
			 (1) Dangerous occurrence-near miss accident no one injured.(  2) Hydrocarbon release. 
		
	
	
		
			  RIDDOR reportable incidents-2009-10 
			  Rig  Major  Over three-day injury  Ill-health  D/O( 1)  HCR( 2)  Wells incidents  Total 
			 GSF Galaxy II 1 - - - - 1 2 
			 GSF Galaxy III - 3 - 2 - - 5 
			 GSF Labrador - - - - - - 0 
			 J. W. McLean - 3 1 1 - - 5 
			 Paul B Loyd Jr - 2 - 2 - - 4 
			 Sedco 704 - - - 1 - 1 2 
			 Sedco 711 1 2 - - - 2 5 
			 Sedco 714 - - - 1 - - 1 
			 Transocean John Shaw 1 1 - 2 - 2 6 
			 Transocean Prospect - 1 - 2 - - 3 
			 (1) Dangerous occurrence-near miss accident no one injured.(  2) Hydrocarbon release.

Oil: Safety

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many  (a) fatalities,  (b) major injuries,  (c) three-day injuries and  (d) dangerous occurrences classified as (i) unplanned close, (ii) shallow gas and (iii) unplanned flow at each (A) oil and gas production platform, (B) floating production installation, (C) drilling rig and (D) unattended gas platform have been reported to the Health and Safety Executive in each of the last 10 years; and what records the Health and Safety Executive holds on the (x) owner and (y) operator of each such installation.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is not available as it would incur disproportionate cost.

State Retirement Pensions

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 28 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 393-94W, on state retirement pensions, for what reasons the month of September is used as the base for these calculations.

Steve Webb: The Consumer Prices Index figure for September is the most up to date that can be used which allows time for the necessary activities involved in changing both the legislation and benefit systems in time for the uprating date in April. This was also true of the Retail Prices Index when that index was used as the benchmark for price inflation.
	The September figures are published by the Office for National Statistics in mid-October and feed into the forecasts prepared for the pre-Budget report, The Uprating Statement to Parliament is made in November or December followed by the Uprating Order which is laid and debated in the new year.
	This timetable is important so that new claims to state pensions and pension credit, which can be made up to four months in advance, can be processed using the correct rates of benefit. It also allows adequate time to notify all 19 million benefit recipients of any changes to their benefit.

Unemployed People: Training

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to expedite the training procurement processes carried out by JobCentre Plus for specialist training for job seekers with specialist skills who require the training in order to move on or back into employment.

Chris Grayling: We remain committed to offering high quality, responsive training provision for those out of work, to help them get the skills they need to find work, stay in work and progress. The Dept for Work and Pensions and the Dept for Business, Innovation and Skills are working closely together to ensure that the provision is in place to support the new Work Programme.
	Alongside the Work Programme, we will introduce Getting Britain Working which will have a series of support measures, such as Work Clubs which will give unemployed people a place to develop skills and share experiences.

Housing Benefit

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the Financial Statement of 22 June 2010,  Official Report, column 174, how many families in  (a) England,  (b) Scotland and  (c) Wales are receiving £104,0000 a year in housing benefit; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: The latest information the Department holds is for March 2010, when the maximum local housing allowance rate was £1,800, and shows that there were customers who received this rate. All these customers were located in the central London broad rental market area.
	In June 2010 the maximum local housing allowance rate rose to £2,000 a week which would be equivalent to receiving £104,000 a year in housing benefit assuming the individual remains in receipt of the same level of benefit for 52 continuous weeks. Information on housing benefit awards in June will be available in September 2010.

JUSTICE

Bill of Rights

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether the Government's Commission to investigate the creation of a British Bill of Rights will include within its terms of reference  (a) the Human Rights Act 1998 and  (b) the operation and judicial interpretation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Kenneth Clarke: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 15 June 2010,  Official Report, column 398W.

Civil Servants: Location

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will consider relocating civil servants in his Department who are currently working in central London to Leeds.

Jonathan Djanogly: In the March 2010 Budget, the Ministry of Justice was tasked with relocating 1,000 posts out of London with 500 posts expected to move outside the south-east of England.
	No final decisions have yet been taken about the destination of any moves or the number of posts to be relocated to specific locations. However, I can advise that Leeds has been chosen for one of the Ministry's shared services locations.

Copyright Tribunal: Public Appointments

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the criteria are for the appointment of the new Chairman of the Copyright Tribunal.

Kenneth Clarke: The statutory requirement is that to be eligible for appointment a person must:
	satisfy the judicial-appointment eligibility condition on a five-year basis; or
	be an advocate or solicitor in Scotland of at least five years' standing;
	be a member of the Bar of Northern Ireland or solicitor of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland of at least five years' standing; or
	have held judicial office;
	be a citizen of the UK, another commonwealth country or the Republic of Ireland.
	In addition, it is a non statutory requirement that the Lord Chancellor expects that applicants will normally have expertise in the field of copyright/intellectual property (IP) law or commercial law.
	Full details of the criteria for the appointment of the new Chairman of the Copyright Tribunal can be found on the Judicial Appointments Commission website at
	http://www.judicialappointments.gov.uk/selection-process/selection-exercises/in-progress/779.htm

Court Dispute Resolution

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on court dispute resolution of the more effective use of technology.

Jonathan Djanogly: In my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Justice and Lord Chancellor's (Kenneth Clarke) written ministerial statement on HM Courts Service Estates issued on 23 June 2010,  Official Report, columns 16-18WS, we proposed to:
	"look at what can be done to use technology more effectively so fewer people have physically to attend court for routine purposes."
	The potential benefits of using technology more effectively could be realised in various ways.
	The Virtual Court pilot focused on testing whether first hearings in the magistrates courts could be undertaken through the use of technology by connecting police stations to magistrates courts via video link. The pilot operated in London and Kent and is currently being independently evaluated. The evaluation will contribute to the Ministry's wider understanding of the potential of video linking to speed up the delivery of justice and reduce cost without compromising the interests of justice.
	In the civil courts, Money Claim on-Line and Possession Claim on-line (MCOL/PCOL) already allow small claims and housing possession claims to be submitted and processed on line. These services reduce the reliance on physical court buildings, reduce the need for the public to visit the court themselves and make access to justice available online 24 hours a day. We will continue to support and develop these systems and actively pursue other ways of providing access to services that provide greater value for money.
	We will also consider whether technology can improve the take up of alternative and innovative routes to justice that do not require court hearings, for example through increasing the availability of the telephone small claims mediation service.

Courts: Access

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans his Department has in place to improve disability access on court premises.

Jonathan Djanogly: HMCS is presently in the third year of a three year programme of works, costing £ 14.47 million, to address the access-related shortcomings within the magistrates courts estate. These works were identified following a comprehensive access audit of all magistrates courts in 2005, at the time of their transfer to and the creation of HMCS in 2005.
	A similar programme of works was undertaken in respect of the Crown and county courts between 2001 and 2004 at a cost of £20 million. Accordingly, once the present programme of works is completed on the magistrates courts in March 2011, all of the HMCS courthouses will be physically accessible in so far as is reasonable and practical.

Defamation: Legal Costs

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will introduce measures to reduce success fees in defamation cases.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Government are currently considering options for reforming costs in civil litigation, including defamation. In particular, we are urgently assessing the recommendations from Lord Justice Jackson's report, 'Review of Civil Litigation Costs', published in January 2010. Among other things, Sir Rupert recommends significant changes to the operation of conditional fee agreements and success fees across the whole of civil litigation. The Government's assessment of Sir Rupert's recommendations will determine the next steps on success fees in defamation proceedings.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Jessica Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what percentage of his Department's budget is allocated to its equality, diversity and human rights division.

Kenneth Clarke: There is no longer an Equality, Diversity and Human Rights Division within the Ministry of Justice. Details are instead given for the Corporate Equality Division and the Human Rights Division.
	The budget of the Corporate Equality Division for 2010-11 is £1.6 million, this equates to 0.018% of the Department's budget. The budget for the Human Rights Division for 2010-11 is £2.2 million, which is another 0.025% of the total budget.

Departmental Public Expenditure

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to analyse the distributional effect of the options for reductions in his Department's expenditure.

Kenneth Clarke: The Government set out in their document "Spending Review Framework" that they will:
	"look closely at the effects of its decisions on different groups in society, especially the least well off, and on different regions." (2.4, page 7)
	Further information will be available at the Spending Review.

Detention and Training Orders

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many children have died  (a) while serving the community part of a detention and training order under the supervision of a youth offending team and  (b) within three months of completing a detention and training order since the inception of such orders; and what the cause of death was of each such child in respect of whose death legal proceedings have been concluded.

Crispin Blunt: The Youth Justice Board does not collect the data requested. Youth offending teams supervise young people serving the second half of their detention and training order sentence in the community but they are not required to collect and keep the data requested.

Diamond Districts

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Diamond Districts programme in tackling crime.

Nick Herbert: The Diamond District approach in London is one model of Integrated Offender Management (IOM). IOM is developing in local areas as a partnership approach to the management and rehabilitation of offenders who cause the greatest harm in those areas. Although there is currently limited direct evidence to assess the effectiveness of IOM in reducing levels of re-offending, it builds on offender based approaches such as local prolific and other priority offender schemes and the Drug Interventions Programme, for which there is positive indicative evidence of impact. The Metropolitan Police Service Strategic Research and Analysis Unit is conducting a two-year evaluation of the Diamond District approach, which will include evidence of impact on reoffending.

Identity Cards

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many  (a) prosecutions and  (b) convictions there have been under section (i) 25(1), (ii) 25(2), (iii) 25(3), (iv) 25(4) and (v) 25(5) of the Identity Cards Act 2006 in each year since the inception of the Act.

Crispin Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts in England and Wales for offences under section 25 of the Identity Cards Act 2006 from commencement (7 June 2006) to 31 December 2008 (latest available) are given in the table as follows.
	Court proceedings data for 2009 are planned for publication on 21 October 2010.
	
		
			  Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts and found guilty at all courts under the Identity Cards Act 2006, section 25( 1) , England and Wales, 2006 to 2008( 2, 3, 4) 
			2006  2007  2008( 5) 
			  Statute  Offence description  Proceeded against  Guilty  Proceeded against  Guilty  Proceeded against  Guilty 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006-sections 25(1) and (2) With intent knowingly possessing false or improperly obtained passport or another ID document 587 437 2,433 2,402 2,864 2,843 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006-sections 25(3) and (4) With intent making or possessing or having under control apparatus or article or material designed or adapted for making false ID documents 8 7 41 39 42 58 
			 Identity Cards Act 2006-sections 25(5) Possessing or controlling a false or improperly obtained ID card or which relates to another or apparatus etc for making ID documents 133 81 442 428 476 550 
			 Total  728 525 2,916 2,869 3,382 3,451 
			 (1) The Identity Cards Act 2006 came into force 7 June 2006. Centrally held data do not separately identify offences under each sub-section of the Act. Available data are given in the table.  (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3 )The number of defendants found guilty in a particular year may exceed the number proceeded against as it may be the case that the proceedings in the magistrates court took place in an earlier year and the defendants were found guilty at the Crown Court in the following year, or the defendants were found guilty of a different offence to the original offence proceeded against.  (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  (5) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April July and August.   Source:  Justice Statistics Analytical Services-Ministry of Justice.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget is of each current project in Iraq funded by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: There are no current projects in Iraq which are directly funded by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ).
	One member of staff from HM Prison Service (HMPS) is currently on secondment to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office supporting the European Community's Rule of Law Programme in Iraq. MoJ's contribution towards this secondment is £25,000 pa.

National Offender Management Service: Manpower

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many  (a) core and  (b) non-core staff are employed by each Director of Offender Management;
	(2)  what the annual costs of staff employed by each  (a) Director of Offender Management,  (b) regional offender manager and  (c) prison area manager were in the latest period for which figures are available in each case;
	(3)  what the initial plans were for the number of staff required in each Director of Offender Management's office.

Crispin Blunt: The process of change in the NOMS organisations in the nine English regions and Wales in 2009, covered 576 jobs and the new structure, which is now in place, reduced this number by 180 to 396. The structures were based on core posts, with other roles excluded, e.g. where prison-based resources have been pooled at a regional level. Since the end of the process of change there is no longer any distinction between core and non-core posts. Information is now obtained from Oracle HR and we no longer differentiate between those roles covered by the remit of the restructure and those that were not.
	The following table contains information on the number of core posts in the original structure, the number of staff employed on 31 March 2010, including those declared surplus and an estimate of the annual staff costs within each Director of Offender Management office.
	Regional offender manager and Prison Service area offices no longer exist.
	
		
			  Original core structure and latest total staff and estimated staff costs for DOM offices 
			  DOM office  Original planned core structure (2009)  Staff in Post( 1 ) 31 March 2010  Staff declared surplus( 2)  Annual staff costs( 1)  (£ million) 31 March 2010 
			 East Midlands 39 55 3 3.0 
			 East of England 39 51 3 2.4 
			 London 37 30 2 1.9 
			 North East 32 38 2 2.1 
			 North West 44 77 15 3.6 
			 South East 59 88 7 4.7 
			 South West 39 35 4 2.1 
			 Wales 29 25 0 1.4 
			 West Midlands 39 40 9 2.2 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 39 37 6 2.0 
			 Total 396 475 51 25.4 
			 (1 )Director of Offender Management office staffing includes some prison-based resources that have been pooled at a regional level.  (2) Staff declared surplus are also included in the staff in post column.

Poppy Project

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Poppy Project bed days were unused in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Crispin Blunt: Over the last 12 months (1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010) there were a total of 17,430 available bed days with the Poppy Project, of which 1,621 days were vacant-providing an occupancy rate of 91% for the project.

Prison Sentences: Wales

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many men of  (a) between 15 and 17,  (b) between 18 and 20 and  (c) over 20 years were sentenced to custody by courts in North Wales in the last 10 years.

Crispin Blunt: The requested information is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Males sentenced to a custodial sentence( 1)  in North Wales, by age, 1998-2008 
			   1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  2008( 2) 
			  Immediate Custody
			 Age 15-17 48 66 61 63 64 71 65 62 84 64 69 
			 Age 18-20 159 174 170 154 142 123 188 176 203 195 213 
			 Over 20 871 868 857 771 833 806 820 854 748 738 845 
			  Suspended sentence
			 Age 15-17 - - - - - - - - - - - 
			 Age 18-20 - - - - - - - 13 71 79 77 
			 Over 20 33 35 24 29 25 18 29 151 343 407 406 
			 (1) Includes both immediate and suspended custodial sentences (2) Following the introduction of the Libra case management system during 2008, offenders at magistrates courts can now be recorded as sex 'Not Stated' or 'Other', as well as 'Male', 'Female'. In 2008 1.5% of offenders sentenced were recorded as sex 'Not Stated'. Detailed comparisons by gender may be no longer be valid.  Court Categorisation Crown Courts: area categorisation based on the prosecuting police force area (which is not necessarily the area of the sentencing court). If another agency has brought the prosecution, area categorisation is based on the criminal justice area of the sentencing court. Magistrates Courts: As part of the rollout of the Libra case management system in magistrates' courts during 2008, a change was made to the categorisation by area. Sentences given at courts using the Libra system are categorised according to the criminal justice area of the court while others are categorised in the same way as the Crown Court. By the end of 2008, all magistrates' courts were using Libra. Police forces do not prosecute minor offences (those that are sentenced at magistrates' courts) outside their areas. Only around 0.01% of sentences at magistrates courts were affected in 2007 and 2008. Police force areas correspond to criminal justice areas except for the Metropolitan and City of London Police, which are combined to form the London criminal justice area. This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.

Prisoners: Foreigners

Dominic Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners are detained in the prison estate.

Crispin Blunt: The number of foreign national prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales by nationality is published quarterly in the population in custody bulletin, found under the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/population incustody.htm
	From the most recent available data, end of March 2010, the foreign national prisoner population in all prison establishments in England and Wales is 11,367.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Prisoners: Foreigners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners of each nationality there were on 6 May 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The number of foreign national prisoners held in all prison establishments in England and Wales by nationality is published quarterly in the population in custody bulletin, found under the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/population incustody.htm
	From the most recent available data, end of March 2010, the table shows the number of foreign national prisoners in all prison establishments in England and Wales by nationality.
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			  Table 1: Population in prison by nationality and sex-England and Wales,  31 March 2010 
			  Nationality  Male  Female  Total 
			 All nationalities 80,894 4,290 85,184 
			 British nationals 67,655 3,357 71,012 
			 Foreign nationals 10,556 811 11,367 
			 Nationality not recorded 2,683 122 2,805 
			 
			  Total Africa 2,576 222 2,798 
			 Algeria 172 0 172 
			 Angola 74 5 79 
			 Benin 1 0 1 
			 Botswana 3 1 4 
			 Burundi 9 0 9 
			 Cameroon 32 2 34 
			 Central African Republic 22 1 23 
			 Congo 124 8 132 
			 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 4 0 4 
			 Egypt 13 0 13 
			 Equatorial Guinea 1 0 1 
			 Ethiopia 63 5 68 
			 Gabon 1 0 1 
			 Gambia 65 3 68 
			 Ghana 138 14 152 
			 Guinea 12 0 12 
			 Guinea-Bissau 1 0 1 
			 Ivory Coast 36 0 36 
			 Kenya 56 7 63 
			 Liberia 20 4 24 
			 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 20 0 20 
			 Malawi 14 1 15 
			 Mali 1 0 1 
			 Mauritania 2 1 3 
			 Mauritius 10 0 10 
			 Morocco 48 0 48 
			 Mozambique 3 0 3 
			 Namibia 3 0 3 
			 Niger 11 2 13 
			 Nigeria 645 89 734 
			 Rwanda 16 0 16 
			 Senegal 9 0 9 
			 Sierra Leone 63 5 68 
			 Somalia 442 10 452 
			 South Africa 109 23 132 
			 Sudan 43 2 45 
			 Tanzania 23 2 25 
			 Togo 5 0 5 
			 Tunisia 18 0 18 
			 Uganda 63 10 73 
			 Zambia 14 3 17 
			 Zimbabwe 167 24 191 
			 
			  Total Asia 2,204 147 2,351 
			 Afghanistan 123 1 124 
			 Bangladesh 188 7 195 
			 Cambodia 1 0 1 
			 China 385 42 427 
			 India 328 11 339 
			 Indonesia 1 0 1 
			 Japan 3 0 3 
			 Korea, DPR (North Korea) 1 2 3 
			 Korea, Republic of 5 0 5 
			 Malaysia 37 5 42 
			 Mongolia 3 1 4 
			 Myanmar 3 0 3 
			 Nepal 10 1 11 
			 Pakistan 413 8 421 
			 Philippines 18 8 26 
			 Singapore 2 2 4 
			 Sri Lanka 147 0 147 
			 Taiwan (Nationalist Chinese) 2 1 3 
			 Thailand 2 5 7 
			 Vietnam 532 53 585 
			 
			  Total Central and South America 252 45 297 
			 Argentina 5 3 8 
			 Belize 0 1 1 
			 Bolivia 7 1 8 
			 Brazil 66 14 80 
			 Chile 8 0 8 
			 Colombia 71 5 76 
			 Costa Rica 2 0 2 
			 Ecuador 9 0 9 
			 French Guiana 2 2 4 
			 Guatemala 4 1 5 
			 Guyana 29 4 33 
			 Mexico 20 11 31 
			 Nicaragua 3 0 3 
			 Panama 1 0 1 
			 Paraguay 2 0 2 
			 Peru 3 1 4 
			 Suriname 3 0 3 
			 Uruguay 1 0 1 
			 Venezuela 16 2 18 
			 
			  Total North America 106 22 128 
			 Canada 26 6 32 
			 United States 80 16 96 
			 
			  Total Europe 3,746 252 3,998 
			 Albania 163 4 167 
			 Armenia 9 0 9 
			 Austria 12 2 14 
			 Azerbaijan 3 0 3 
			 Belgium 30 3 33 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 10 4 14 
			 Bulgaria 28 24 52 
			 Croatia 9 0 9 
			 Cyprus 30 0 30 
			 Czech Republic 80 12 92 
			 Denmark 16 1 17 
			 Estonia 26 0 26 
			 Finland 4 0 4 
			 France 142 12 154 
			 Georgia 8 0 8 
			 Germany 84 11 95 
			 Gibraltar 4 0 4 
			 Greece 13 0 13 
			 Hungary 26 6 32 
			 Iceland 0 3 3 
			 Irish Republic 657 25 682 
			 Italy 80 2 82 
			 Kazakhstan 2 0 2 
			 Kyrgyzstan 1 1 2 
			 Latvia 140 9 149 
			 Liechtenstein 1 0 1 
			 Lithuania 338 10 348 
			 Macedonia 4 0 4 
			 Malta 3 0 3 
			 Moldova 15 1 16 
			 Netherlands 99 15 114 
			 Norway 7 0 7 
			 Poland 657 13 670 
			 Portugal 212 13 225 
			 Romania 358 47 405 
			 Russian Federation 112 12 124 
			 San Marino 1 0 1 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 38 0 38 
			 Slovakia 54 6 60 
			 Slovenia 3 0 3 
			 Spain 65 10 75 
			 Sweden 17 4 21 
			 Switzerland 6 1 7 
			 Turkey 170 1 171 
			 Turkmenistan 1 0 1 
			 Uzbekistan 8 0 8 
			 
			  Total Middle East 562 12 574 
			 Iran 205 8 213 
			 Iraq 240 1 241 
			 Israel 35 2 37 
			 Jordan 7 0 7 
			 Kuwait 12 1 13 
			 Lebanon 16 0 16 
			 Oman 2 0 2 
			 Qatar 1 0 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 16 0 16 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 12 0 12 
			 United Arab Emirates 4 0 4 
			 Yemen, Republic of 12 0 12 
			 
			  Total Oceania 39 3 42 
			 Australia 24 3 27 
			 Fiji 7 0 7 
			 Kiribati 1 0 1 
			 New Zealand 5 0 5 
			 Papua New Guinea 1 0 1 
			 Samoa 1 0 1 
			 
			  Total West Indies 1,069 108 1,177 
			 Anguilla 1 0 1 
			 Aruba 1 0 1 
			 Bahamas 2 0 2 
			 Barbados 31 8 39 
			 Bermuda 2 1 3 
			 Cuba 3 0 3 
			 Dominica 14 1 15 
			 Dominican Republic 1 0 1 
			 Grenada 18 1 19 
			 Jamaica 895 65 960 
			 Montserrat 13 0 13 
			 Netherlands Antilles 6 3 9 
			 St Kitts and Nevis 5 0 5 
			 St Lucia 20 11 31 
			 St Vincent and the Grenadines 15 2 17 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 41 16 57 
			 Virgin Islands 1 0 1 
			 
			  Total other 2 0 2 
			  Data sources and quality: Those figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figure may not be accurate to that level.

Prisoners: Foreigners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners he expects to be in prison on 1 May  (a) 2011,  (b) 2012 and  (c) 2013.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice produces annual projections of the prison population in England and Wales, most recently in August 2009. These project the prison population under three different scenarios (high, medium and low), based on different assumptions about future sentencing trends. Separate projections of foreign national prisoner are not calculated.

Prisoners: Foreigners

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what progress has been made on making a prisoner transfer agreement with  (a) South Africa,  (b) China and  (c) Nigeria.

Crispin Blunt: A prisoner transfer agreement with South Africa is unlikely to be concluded in the near future. It is the policy of the South African Government not to enter into such agreements.
	The possibility of a prisoner transfer agreement with China is under review.
	Nigeria and the United Kingdom are signatories to the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth. The scheme allows for the transfer of prisoners between Nigeria and the United Kingdom where the consent of both states and the prisoner is obtained. A separate compulsory transfer agreement is under consideration. We expect negotiations to be completed once the Nigerian National Assembly has passed the necessary legislation.

Prisoners: Nigeria

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many Nigerian citizens held in UK prisons he expects to be returned to Nigeria in  (a) 2010-11 and  (b) 2011-12.

Crispin Blunt: The United Kingdom and Nigeria are both participants to the Scheme for the Transfer of Convicted Offenders within the Commonwealth. This scheme provides for the voluntary transfer of prisoners between participating states. 24 Nigerian nationals in prisons in England and Wales have submitted applications to be repatriated to Nigeria. These applications are under consideration by the Nigerian Government. Because of the voluntary nature of the current transfer scheme and the need for the consent of the Nigerian Government in each case it is not possible to indicate how many prisoners will be transferred in the years 2010-11 and 2011-12.

Prisoners: Repatriation

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners have been returned to their home countries under the provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Prisoner Transfer since the inception of the agreement in November 2009.

Crispin Blunt: On the 1 November 2009 the United Kingdom ratified the Additional Protocol to the Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons. The protocol provides for the compulsory transfer of prisoners between signatory states where a prisoner is to be deported or where the prisoner has fled the sentencing state.
	Under the Additional Protocol the United Kingdom has transferred to Austria the enforcement of a sentence of an Austrian national who had fled from custody here having absconded from an open prison. In addition, 12 prisoners have been referred to the UK Borders Agency for deportation action. Once deportation orders have been served consideration will be given to their transfer under the Additional Protocol.

Probation Boards

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many probation boards have assumed trust status; and which probation boards have had their application for trust status rejected.

Crispin Blunt: Six trusts were vested in the first wave of probation trusts in April 2008, these were South Wales, Dyfed Powys, Humberside; Leicestershire and Rutland, West Mercia and Merseyside. Two further trusts were vested in April 2009 these were Lancashire and Greater Manchester. All probation boards were required to apply for trust status and a rigorous examination took place in terms of their performance and management capability. All areas were successful in this application process. During 2009 a number of probation boards decided that they would be better placed by proposing voluntary amalgamations. All remaining probation boards achieved trust status on 1 April 2010 with the following succeeding as amalgamated trusts - Durham Tees Valley, Norfolk and Suffolk, Wales Probation Trust (the former South Wales and Dyfed Powys Trusts) and the Probation Boards of Gwent and North Wales; Surrey and Sussex; West Midlands and Staffordshire.
	In total there are 35 probation trusts for England and Wales.

Rape: Rights of Accused

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his Department plans to grant anonymity to defendants in court cases involving allegations of sexual abuse of children.

Crispin Blunt: The Government have made clear that they will carefully consider all the options before bringing proposals to Parliament on the question of extending anonymity in rape cases to defendants. This includes consideration of the period which would be covered by the anonymity, and the possible extension of coverage beyond rape to other offences. It also includes the possibility of special provision for teachers and others in positions of trust. Our Coalition agreement includes a further commitment to give anonymity to teachers accused by pupils and to take other measures to protect against false accusations.

Voluntary Work

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many hours of unpaid work requirements were supervised by  (a) the public sector,  (b) the private sector and  (c) the voluntary sector in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of unpaid work (Community Payback) hours imposed during the last three years is given in the following table (to the nearest thousand).
	
		
			   Unpaid work hours 
			 2007 10,224,000 
			 2008 10,859,000 
			 2009 11,374,000 
		
	
	The hours supervised by the public, private and voluntary sectors are not recorded separately. The majority of hours worked by offenders are undertaken in groups, supervised by probation service staff.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Banks: Finance

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency have participated in the Working Capital Scheme since its inception.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Stirling (Mrs McGuire) on 30 June 2010,  Official Report, column reference 564W.

Business: Government Assistance

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses  (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency,  (b) in the East of England and  (c) nationally have received loans under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee since that scheme's inception.

Mark Prisk: Under the Enterprise Finance Guarantee, as of 30 June 2010, 9,087 businesses have drawn down loans totalling £910.93 million. Of which, in the east of England, 948 businesses have drawn down loans of £85.94 million, and the constituency of Great Yarmouth, eight businesses have drawn down loans totalling £287,207.

Business: Government Assistance

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many projects  (a) in Great Yarmouth constituency,  (b) in the East of England region and  (c) nationally have been supported by the Strategic Investment Fund since that fund's inception.

Mark Prisk: The Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) is funding around 45 different projects and programmes.
	The SIF is a UK-wide fund, and a number of projects supported by the SIF are themselves UK-wide in geographical scope. They will benefit companies across the UK, including those in Great Yarmouth.
	A number of other projects supported under the SIF can be identified to specific geographical locations, though the benefits of the projects will often be felt over a much wider area. In the East of England, SIF is funding Stevenage Bio-park. There are no SIF projects specifically in Great Yarmouth.

Departmental Buildings

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what properties his Department and its non-departmental public bodies  (a) own and  (b) lease overseas; whether those properties are shared with other Government departments and non-departmental public bodies; and whether he plans to (i) sell the property or (ii) cancel the lease in each case.

Edward Davey: The information requested is as follows:
	BIS does not own or lease any overseas properties.
	 Regional development agencies
	The following lists all overseas foreign direct investment offices leased by the RDA's. This does not include "serviced office facilities" where there is no lease, or employees or consultants who work from home:
	North West Development Agency, Chicago-shared with One North East; One North East-offices in Chicago (shared with NWDA), Tokyo and Shanghai; South East England Development Agency-offices in Kanagawa (Japan), Shanghai and Seoul (the latter shared with Think London);
	Yorkshire Forward-Offices in Hangzhou and Tokyo. No decisions have been taken as yet on the cancellation of the leases for these properties.
	 Medical Research Council
	The Medical Research Council maintains two overseas research units: MRC Laboratories, The Gambia and MRC/UVRI Research Unit in Uganda. To facilitate the running of these units, the MRC leases various properties in both countries, including laboratory facilities, clinic and patient care facilities, office and staff accommodation. None of the properties leased by the MRC are shared with other UK Government Departments or NDPB's and there are no current plans to sell or cancel any of the leases as the properties are currently in use for ongoing research programmes. In addition, the MRC leases office premises in Beijing on behalf of RCUK China. The property is shared with the other research councils and there are currently no plans to cancel the existing lease.
	 Science and Technology Facilities Council
	The Science and Technology Facilities Council has 15 apartments/houses occupied by staff in La Palma, Canary Islands, owned by STFC, plus three telescopes owned by STFC but on land leased from the Government of Spain, plus a leased office building. The office is shared with telescope administrations from other countries. All have a current planning lifetime through to the end of 2013 and will be sold or given up on that timescale.
	The Anglo-Australian Observatory has one telescope-the UK Schmidt Telescope, owned by STFC on land leased from the Australian National University. This is not shared. The lease will be given up in July 2010.
	The Joint Astronomy Centre in Hawaii has 2 telescopes (UKIRT, JCMT) owned by STFC and one office building also owned by STFC. The leases for the land are with the University of Hawaii and run to 2033. However STFC planning is only until 2013. None are shared with other Departments. STFC also lease rooms at a hostel on an annual basis. This facility is shared with telescope users form other countries.
	 Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
	The BBSRC leases an office in Brussels on behalf of the UK Research Office. There are no plans to cancel the lease.
	 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
	EPSRC operates the Research Council UK (RCUK) Washington office. This space is based within the UK embassy and rented from the FCO. There are no current plans to cease this arrangement.
	 Economic and Social Research Council
	ESRC manages the RCUK India office in Delhi. Space is leased within the British high commission in India and this is planned to continue. ESRC also rents two priorities (housing) through the high commission for UK staff at the RCUK India office. These leases are planned to continue and will be reviewed when due for renewal.
	 Natural Environment Research Council
	NERC leases a property in Ny-Alesund, Norway. This is a research station for seven scientists and NERC are currently reviewing whether to continue with this facility. NERC also own four British Antarctic Survey sites (Rothera, Halley, Bird Island and Signy) and have no plans to sell them.

Departmental Catering

Graham Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on catering in each year from 1997 to 2009.

Edward Davey: This Department does not separately itemise catering costs from entertainment and hospitality generally, and to disaggregate the figures could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Catering

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each directorate of his Department and its predecessor spent on each type of catering in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: The Department does not separately itemise catering costs from entertainment and hospitality generally, and to disaggregate the figures could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Catering

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what catering facilities for internal meetings have been available in his Department and its predecessors for internal meetings in each year since 1997; how much his Department spent on catering for each internal meeting in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: Catering for internal meetings has been available via our contracted service suppliers in BIS and its predecessors since 1997. However, since May of this year BIS staff have been requested not to book catering for internal meetings as part of our cost saving measures.
	It is not possible to provide figures on catering spend for internal meetings as this information is not recorded separately and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 7 June 2010,  Official Report, column 82W, on departmental manpower, what the salary range is of staff employed at each grade in the private office of each Minister in his Department.

Edward Davey: The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) was formed through a Machinery of Government change that occurred in June 2009. The Department was created by merging The Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR) and The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Staff in grades below the Senior Civil Service within BIS have different pay arrangements dependant on which of the former departments they came from.
	Pay arrangements for staff that work within the Senior Civil Service (SCS) are part of the pay system that operates across the whole Civil Service. The salary levels are based on recommendations from the independent Senior Salaries Review Body.
	The pay scales that operate within the Department are in the following tables:
	
		
			  BERR: 
			  (£) 
			   London  National 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum  Minimum  Maximum 
			 AA 17,105 18,617 13,605 15,117 
			 AO 19,825 21,869 16,325 18,369 
			 EO 22,263 27,023 18,763 23,523 
			 HEO 27,070 32,866 23,570 29,366 
			 SEO 32,241 40,701 28,741 37,201 
			 Grade 7 44,186 55,562 40,686 52,062 
			 Grade 6 53,543 67,313 50,043 63,813 
			 FastStream 25,800 31,800 22,300 28,300 
		
	
	
		
			  DIUS: 
			  (£) 
			   London  National 
			 Grade  Minimum  Maximum  Minimum  Maximum 
			 EA 20,017 22,126 16,517 18,626 
			 EO 23,633 27,281 20,133 23,781 
			 HEO 28,652 33,027 25,152 29,527 
			 SEO 34,385 40,917 30,885 37,417 
			 Grade 7 46,629 55,882 43,129 52,382 
			 Grade 6 55,715 67,714 52,215 64,214 
			 FastStream 28,652 40,917 25,152 37,417 
		
	
	
		
			  SCS: 
			  (£) 
			  Grade  Minimum  Maximum 
			 SCS Pay Band 1 58,200 117,800 
			 SCS Pay Band 2 82,900 162,500 
			 SCS Pay Band 3 101,500 208,100

Departmental Translation Services

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what  (a) documents and  (b) other information for which (i) his Department and (ii) its associated public bodies are responsible are published or provided in the UK in languages other than English; for what reason each such publication is required to be made available in a language or languages other than English; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the translation work so incurred in the latest period for which figures are available.

Edward Davey: Since 1 April 2009 the Department has published 103 items in 26 different languages. This includes hard copy publications and items published only on the Department's website, together with items produced by UK Trade and Investment (UKTI). A full list of these publications, showing each title and in which language it was published, will be placed in the libraries of the House. Other items translated into foreign languages include business cards and letters.
	Items published in Welsh were produced to comply with the Department's Welsh Language Scheme which states that for the conduct of public business in Wales the Department will treat the English and Welsh languages on a basis of equality.
	Other items have been produced to inform people whose first language is not English about issues such as employment rights and entitlements, or for specific overseas markets.
	Figures are available for spend on items procured via the translation service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and via the Central Office of Information (COI). This covers a wider range of material than just the publications identified.
	2009/10 (including spend by the former BERR and former DIUS before the creation of BIS in June 2009):
	
		
			  (£) 
			 BERR/BIS 4,151.71 
			 DIUS 2,000.00 
			 UKTI 112,265.10 
			 Total 205,839.57 
			  2010/11 to date:  
			 BIS 545.02 
			 UKTI 14,332.44 
			 Total 14,877.46 
		
	
	Information about items produced by the Department's partner organisations could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Employment Agencies: EU Law

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to amend or replace the Agency Workers Regulations 2010.

Edward Davey: The Government are aware of the different points of view expressed by the business community about certain aspects of the agency workers regulations and is currently considering the way forward.

Higher Education: Anti-Semitism

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to protect Jewish university students from anti-Semitic attacks; what recent reports he has received of incidents of anti-Semitism on university campuses; what discussions he has had with representatives of the Jewish community on the matter; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: holding answer 29 June 2010
	There is no place for racism of any form, including anti-Semitism, in higher education. Universities have the primary responsibility for ensuring that their students are not subject to threatening or abusive behaviour on campus and have access to a strong legislative framework and guidance to help them deal effectively with instances of intolerance, racism and harassment in their institutions. Government would expect them to vigorously tackle these issues when they arise and report criminal attacks to the police when they occur on campus, or support students to do so.
	I have received correspondence on this issue, and I have had no discussions so far with representatives of the Jewish community. However, I am due to meet with representatives of the Jewish community and the HE sector to discuss anti-Semitism and higher education.

Iraq

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what projects in Iraq are being funded by his Department; what the budget of each such project is; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: This Department currently supports two education programmes with Iraq:
	(i) A programme of capacity building and support for the rebuilding of a modernised and robust technical and vocational education system responsive to the economic and social needs currently facing Iraq-the Rawabit Programme. This programme has been running since 2004. BIS has contributed funding of £950,000 towards the programme since 2006. A further £300,000 will be provided this financial year bringing the total to £1.2 million.
	(ii) The Higher Education Leadership and Management for Iraq programme (HELMI). Two year programme started in 2009/2010 to strengthen academic and leadership management in Iraqi HE. The budget for this programme over the two years is £237,144. The programme will finish in March 2011.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Rosie Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the responsibilities of his proposed local enterprise partnerships will be.

Mark Prisk: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside and Hillsborough (Mr Blunkett) on 1 July 2010,  Official Report, columns 646-47W.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what timetable has been set for  (a) the submission of bids for local enterprise partnerships and  (b) the coming into operation of local enterprise partnerships.

Mark Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote jointly with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, inviting outline proposals from partnerships of local authorities and businesses, reflecting the coalition Government's agenda, as soon as possible, and no later than 6 September. A copy of the letter is available in the Libraries of the House.
	As set out in the Budget, the Government will publish a White Paper later in the summer, which will set out the Government's approach to sub-national growth. Legislation to abolish RDAs and enable local enterprise partnerships was announced in the Queen's Speech and is expected to be introduced to Parliament in the autumn.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what incentives will be offered for local enterprise partnerships to raise some of their own funding under his proposals for such partnerships.

Mark Prisk: As set out in the Budget, the Government will publish a White Paper later in the summer, which will set out the Government's approach to sub-national growth. The White Paper will also consider the most appropriate framework of incentives for local authorities to support growth, including exploring options for business rate and council tax incentives, which would allow local authorities to reinvest the benefits of growth into local communities.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what mechanisms will be used to determine the funding for each local enterprise partnership;
	(2)  what the economic objectives will be of local enterprise partnerships;
	(3)  whether a local enterprise partnership could cover a single higher tier authority area under his proposals for such partnerships;
	(4)  what his policy is on the minimum size of population to be covered by a local enterprise partnership;
	(5)  whether he plans to provide further guidance on local enterprise partnerships to local authorities and business.

Mark Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote jointly with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, inviting local groups of councils and business leaders to come together to consider how they wish to form local enterprise partnerships. A copy of the letter is available in the Libraries of the House.
	As set out in the Budget, we will publish a White Paper later in the summer, which will set out the Government's approach to sub-national growth.

Newton Scholarships

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students receive Newton scholarships; and what estimate he has made of the number of students who would not be able to afford to attend university if Newton scholarships were abolished.

David Willetts: No students are in receipt of a Newton Scholarship. The scheme, primarily for international research students, was announced by the previous Administration as part of the March 2010 budget and an initial cohort, of around 100 students, was planned for entry in October 2010.
	On 17 June the Chief Secretary to the Treasury announced that a number of unfunded projects would be cancelled or suspended. This included the Newton Scholarships, on which any decision will now be taken during the spending review. No university or organisation will lose money as a result of this suspension. The Government's considerable levels of support for PhD students, through the Research Councils, means it is unlikely that there will be any increase in students unable to afford to attend university following this decision.

One NorthEast

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of One NorthEast's capital programme budget has been spent in each year since its inception.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column reference 534W to my hon. Friend the Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon).

One NorthEast

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of One NorthEast in attracting investment into the region from  (a) other parts of the UK,  (b) non-UK, EU-based companies and  (c) companies based outside the EU.

Mark Prisk: Recent assessment into the effectiveness of One North East in attracting investment into the region shows that investment attracted from  (a) other parts of the UK-these figures are projects to which One North East responded following inquiries from UK companies-RDAs cannot target proactively companies already based elsewhere in the UK under the RDA guidelines- (b) for non-UK, EU-based companies and  (c) companies based outside the EU figures show the total number of projects that invested into the North East and in which One North East (ONE) were involved were:
	
		
			   Financial year 
			   2007-08  2008-09  2009-10 
			 UK projects 8 8 5 
			 EU projects* 7 8 11 
			 Rest of World projects* 45 37 44 
			 New Jobs 1,337 2,811 3,505 
			 S/G Jobs 1,389 1,431 3,190 
			 Total Jobs 2,726 4,242 6,695 
			 Capex (£ million) 204 191 754 
			  Notes: 1. FDI performance assessment of One North East was undertaken by Arthur D Little in 2006-07. It found that One North East was involved in 82% of all inward investment activity in North East England and that its work generated £385 million of GVA for the region. 2. (a), (b) and (c) figures supplied by ONE; EU* and Rest of World* project numbers confirmed by UKTI.

Postal Services Bill

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials of his Department are working on preparations for the Postal Services Bill.

Edward Davey: There are three officials working in the core Bill team on the preparations for the Postal Services Bill. This team is supported by a range of officials from across the Department with relevant expertise, in particular a team of four lawyers, eight policy officials, and an economist. Most of these officials continue to have other responsibilities outside of their work on the Bill itself.

Redundancy Pay

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the uprating of statutory redundancy pay.

Edward Davey: Section 34 of the Employment Relations Act 1999 established a mechanism for the annual changes in award limits (up or down as appropriate), in line with the retail prices index. We have no current plans to change this mechanism.

Retail Trade: Regulation

Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  which regulations introduced by the previous Government he plans to repeal to reduce the regulatory burden on small retailers; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to reduce the regulatory burden on small retailers; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has a range of mechanisms to ensure that the needs and concerns of retailers and small businesses are given due attention. These mechanisms include meetings between Ministers and representative bodies and trade associations, regular policy discussions with officials, the small firms consultation database and through a series of formal meetings, including the Retail Policy Forum. In the Budget the Government announced plans for reducing the regulatory burdens on business, including the introduction of a one-in-one out system for new regulations and a fundamental review of all regulation inherited from the previous Government scheduled for introduction over the coming year. These regulations will not be implemented until they have been reviewed and re-agreed by the Reducing Regulation Committee. Also, seven key reviews have been announced which will tackle the burden of regulation:
	Lord Young of Graffham will lead a review of Health and Safety regulation;
	a new industry-led Task Force chaired by Richard McDonald will consider ways to reduce the regulatory burden on the farming industry;
	each relevant Department will be reviewing the employment laws in their policy areas to ensure they maximise flexibility for both parties while protecting fairness and providing the competitive environment required for enterprise to thrive;
	the Home Office has postponed all new registrations with the Independent Safeguarding Authority while it carries out a review of the vetting and barring scheme;
	a joint OCS/BIS Civil Society Regulation Taskforce has been established to reduce the burden of red tape on small civil society organisations;
	and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs has announced a review of waste policy in England.
	Communities Secretary Eric Pickles will shortly be asking Councillors and Council staff to suggest how outdated and obsolete secondary legislation can be cut down to size.
	These Reviews will report in due course. The Your Freedom website will also give members of the public the opportunity to suggest existing regulations for removal, in order to reduce the burden on business.

Sheffield Forgemasters: Finance

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what advice his Department obtained from third parties on the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters  (a) before and  (b) after 6 May 2010;
	(2)  what cost-benefit analysis and other evaluation was undertaken in respect of the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters  (a) before and  (b) after 6 May 2010;
	(3)  whether Ministers or officials of his Department discussed with potential developers of replacement nuclear power stations the matter of the £80 million loan to Sheffield Forgemasters between 7 May and 17 June 2010;
	(4)  pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2010,  Official Report, column 540W, on Sheffield Forgemasters: finance, whether  (a) Ministers or  (b) officials of his Department had discussions with Sheffield Forgemasters on the proposed £80 million loan between 7 May and 17 June 2010.

Mark Prisk: Prior to 6 May, the independent statutory Industrial Development Advisory Board provided advice regarding support for the Sheffield Forgemasters (SFIL) project at meetings in June 2009, September 2009 and February 2010. The Department also commissioned a report from Deloitte examining the potential market opportunities from the project, and received advice from Allen & Overy relating to the terms and conditions of the conditional offer.
	In considering the case for providing public support to SFIL, the Industrial Development Advisory Board were supported by the following evaluations:  (a) additionality-an assessment of whether the project would go ahead without public support;  (b) an assessment of the costs and benefits of Government support; and  (c) an assessment of commercial considerations. No additional cost-benefit analysis, over and above these evaluations, has been undertaken.
	My Department did not take advice from third parties between 7 May and 17 June 2010 on the subject of the loan. Officials from the Department met with Westinghouse on 3 June 2010 to discuss project planning issues.
	The decision not to pursue the loan was taken on the grounds of affordability.

Summertime

Anne McGuire: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what evidence his Department holds on the relationship between the change from British Summer Time to Greenwich Mean Time and the number of robberies occurring on the day upon which the change took place in each of the last five years.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills is responsible for overall policy regarding changes between British Summer Time and Greenwich Mean Time and related matters. The Home Office are responsible for the collation of crime statistics, including robberies. The information requested is not held by the Home Office and could be collated only at disproportionate cost.

Working Hours: EU Law

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to amend or replace the Working Time Regulations 1998.

Edward Davey: Some minor amendments to the Working Time Regulations may be necessary in the relatively near future in light of recent European Court judgments. As stated in the coalition agreement, the Government are committed to limiting the application of the working time directive in the UK. This will of course include maintenance of the flexibility provided by the right of individuals to opt out of the maximum 48-hour working week.

Working Hours: EU Law

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what guidance he has issued on the maximum number of on-call hours that an employee may be required to stay on their employer's premises during a working week.

Edward Davey: Detailed guidance on the Working Time Regulations is available for workers on the Direct Gov website. This guidance clearly states that the maximum working week (for those not choosing to opt-out) is 48 hours and that, as required as a result of decisions by the European Court of Justice, time spent on-call at work would count towards this. Enquirers requiring more detailed or tailored guidance can contact the ACAS helpline.